


Delenda est Britannia

by spirithorse



Series: Tales from Britannia [7]
Category: Code Geass
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-17
Updated: 2016-02-17
Packaged: 2018-05-02 03:20:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 28
Words: 32,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5231960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spirithorse/pseuds/spirithorse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of drabbles that ran from 9/1 to 9/30 for a month (ish) long celebration of Zero Requiem 2015. Made up from requests taken from tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Since the success and response of the fandom last year to a month long spam of fics was so good, I decided to do it again. Title taken from Cato who famous spouted about Carthage being destroyed at the end of all of his speeches no matter what the subject mater.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous requested: hi, uhm, agents au (any pairings will do)?? .
> 
> This is mostly based on The Man from UNCLE simply because it’s the latest agent movie that I saw.

Lelouch drummed his fingers against the car door, not caring that the sound would probably make C.C. snap at him. She deserved it considering that she wouldn’t let him get out of the car and pace. Apparently, it would be too conspicuous, like a car idling off the highway in the desert wasn’t too conspicuous. He could at least pretend that he was working on the engine while they waited for Suzaku to check in. It would be better than sitting in the car with the windows rolled down while they baked in the sun.

He glanced over at C.C, gritting his teeth when he saw her reading one of her trashy romance novels instead of actively trying to figure out why Suzaku had missed the rendezvous. Waiting for Suzaku or not, they still had to figure out their next step based on the information that had gotten from Jeremiah. Lelouch didn’t want to be running without a destination, especially since that seemed to be the way the three of them ended every mission. He wanted to be a few steps ahead of GEASS for once instead of running after their leader like a dog chasing its tail.

He turned around in the seat, rummaging in the back for where the maps were. Lelouch groaned when he realized that they were just folded haphazardly and tossed in the back. He shot a glare over his shoulder, not sure if C.C. had actually been the one to mess with the maps. She seemed to like doing things just to annoy him, but she seemed to prefer the maps to the tech that Rakshata and Lloyd kept coming up with. All things considered, Suzaku had probably been the one to mess up the maps.

Lelouch rolled his eyes and slumped back in the seat, going over the maps as he turned the information that Jeremiah had given them.

The leader of GEASS had last been spotted close to Pendragon, although where was the question. They would have to wait until they were away from Albuquerque to call into headquarters. Bugged rooms were why they were in this predicament in the first place.

Somehow GEASS had tapped their lines, which had left them running in radio silence until they could regroup. Jeremiah had been the first bit of news that they’d had for days, and it hadn’t been good news. So far, no one had been able to figure out where the GEASS leader was, which was a major problem. With a meeting of delegates in Pendragon, Britannia and the EU would be in danger from whatever GEASS was planning to do.

The problem was that, since they had split up, there wasn’t a way to keep in contact with Suzaku.

Lelouch sighed and flattened out the maps, staring at them as he tried to plot out the quickest route to Pendragon. With the conferences starting the next day, they had no time to lose.

He walked fingers over the highways, muttering to himself as he figured out the miles. There was plenty of time for them to get through, if there wasn’t anything in their way. Lelouch doubted that they would be that lucky, not when the stakes were so high. There was talk of Britannia entering the UFN, and that was something that couldn’t risk being ruined.

Lelouch started working out another route when C.C. sighed. He looked up when she reached down into the foot well of the car.

She sat up a moment later, shaking the radio that she had pulled out. “If you’re going to just sit there and worry, you might as well call him.”

“No.”

“You won’t be giving anything away. They know we’re here.” He stared at her in shock, C.C. shrugging and tossing the radio onto his lap. “They know we’re split up. By now they’ve found Suzaku, and they’re coming after us.”

“We’re not calling him.”

“Why? They’ll be onto us in a matter of time.”

Lelouch glared at her, C.C. just shrugging and going back to her book. There were times he hated her for her calm in stressful situations, it grated on him, especially when he was trying to come up with a plan. She might have been ex-GEASS, but that didn’t make her the end all source on them. She had left GEASS in her teens, which was a good ten years for them to change.

Then again, they didn’t have the time to wait. And, as much as he hated to admit it, C.C. was right. Getting to Pendragon was more important that trying to stay undercover. GEASS already knew that they were in the area, there wasn’t much point in hiding.

He picked up the radio, ignoring the smile that C.C. had on her face. He would deal with her telling him that she had been right the entire time later, it was more important to pull their team together.

He flicked the radio on, glancing around the empty desert before speaking. “Zero to White Knight, come in.” There was a hiss of static, Lelouch wincing at the sound. He leaned away from the radio until the static went away. “Zero to White Knight, come in.”

There was silence, Lelouch drumming his fingers against his leg the longer the silence went on. He was about to turn to C.C. and start to work out an extraction plan when there was a crackle. He sucked in a quick breath, letting it out when he heard Suzaku’s voice. “White Knight to Zero.”

“Where are you?” He gestured to C.C, watching as she nodded and turned on the car. “Do you need an extraction?”

“No extraction. And…” Suzaku hesitated for a moment before continuing sheepishly. “You guys should really start driving.”

“What do you-” Lelouch jerked his head to the right at the sound of a motorcycle engine. He leaned out of the window, his mouth dropping open when he saw the cavalcade heading towards them.

Suzaku zipped past on the motorcycle, followed by three cars all with people armed to the teeth in them.

Lelouch sat back in his seat, the breath knocked out of him when C.C. floored it. He scrambled for a hold on the maps as she turned the car back onto the highway. He winced as he heard the maps crumple, giving up on folding them to shove them down in the foot well.

He was reaching across to roll the window up when he felt C.C. grab his shoulder. She nudged his leg with her foot. “Take the wheel, I’m a better shot.”

It was the only warning he got before she let go of the wheel completely. Lelouch lunged for it, feeling C.C. scramble over him. He gritted his teeth and yanked his feet out from under him, slamming his right foot on the gas pedal.

The car juddered for a moment before accelerating, Lelouch leaning forward as he tried to line C.C. up for a good shot. He could hear her muttering to herself, Lelouch catching a few words in what he thought was Latin before she shot.

There was a squeal from one of the cars, Lelouch jerking the wheel to the side to avoid colliding with it. “A little warning would be nice.”

“I’m going to be shooting the cars if that’s alright with you, your highness. Now drive faster if you want to save your boyfriend.”

Lelouch grumbled under his breath before gunning the car again. “Just don’t miss.”

“Like I would. Just keep it steady.”

Lelouch eyed the cars in front of them, catching sight of Suzaku as he dodged in front of them. 

There was bound to be a story behind all of this, because Lelouch was sure that there were no normal circumstances where Suzaku would be careless enough to gain the attention of so many people. The whole thing said that Suzaku had stumbled into a trap, but Lelouch would get the full report from him later.

For now, all he could do was try and keep C.C. in range of the other cars, holding steady until she got a shot off. Then it was just a matter of dodging scraps of car or the rain of bullets that was directed their way. All of that left plenty of time for Lelouch to run through how much time it would take to get them to Pendragon and how much time they were wasting. 

He didn’t like the way the numbers were adding up, but there wasn’t much he could do otherwise. They could let the others tail them all the way to Pendragon or take care of them now, and Lelouch was getting tired of running under a hail of bullets wherever he went. It was enough to make him wish for the old days when he had been a bit removed from the battlefield, or when most of his work had been in air conditioned staterooms instead of a car out in the desert.

Still, it was infinitely better than rotting in a prison in St. Petersburg as he waited for his execution. And he couldn’t say he was bored anymore.

Lelouch just sometimes wished his life involved less running, fewer instances of getting shot and and far less excitement.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [captain-lecho](http://captain-lecho.tumblr.com/) requested: I loved that post- requiem au of yours where Lelouch is a sad sad ghost (believe me I want him to be happy but angsty lulu is what gets me) so is it alright if I'd ask for more, I actually imagined a scenario where he found a friend(a child specifically). Thanks in advance.
> 
> [Here's the ghost Lelouch fic mentioned](http://eachainn.tumblr.com/post/96365348701/this-isnt-a-code-geass-blog-requested-suzalulu)

Sometime within the first month Lelouch found out he wasn’t the only ghost that haunted the halls of the imperial palace.

Even with the original city destroyed, spirits kept drifting in and around the halls. Lelouch had always thought that ghosts would disappear when they finished what kept them tied to earth or the object that they were haunting was destroyed. Then again, he didn’t know much about ghosts. He didn’t even know what was keeping him around. He just drifted between Suzaku and Nunnally, half hoping that one of them would look up and see him.

They never did.

Then again, neither did the other ghosts. They were all locked in whatever loop they had fallen into, or they didn’t want to talk to him. Lelouch kept tabs on them, but never paid them much attention and they often returned the favor, save for one.

The young girl seemed to be the only ghost aware of her surroundings, sometimes waving to him, sometimes just smiling, but always continuing on her same loop. If she hadn’t done it at different times during the day, Lelouch would have thought that it was just part of her cycle.

At a loss of what to do, he followed her one day, walking through the halls of the palace. He avoided walking through the walls, sometimes having to take a long detour as he made his way through the construction zone and to one far end of the palace, close to the crater where the original Pendragon had been.

The girl was lingering close to a half circle of stone, the rest of the stone cut off abruptly by the edge of the crater. 

Lelouch frowned and crouched by the stones, jerking his hand back when he heard the girl sigh. 

“It’s part of the old palace.” He looked up at her, the girl carefully stepping over the stones to sit in the center. She carefully spread her dress out, playing with the edge of it before shaking her head. “I don’t think you ever went there. They closed up the towers a long time ago.”

She rested her chin on her knees, one of her hands drumming on the ground. “I’m still somewhere under here. Whatever destroyed the city came very close. I thought I would disappear.”

She held up a hand, Lelouch staring at her three missing fingers. He shivered and looked down at the ground.

The promise to take her body somewhere safe and bury her properly was on the tip of his tongue, until he remembered that he couldn’t carry out the order. He couldn’t even haunt someone properly to get their attention.

He stepped forward to sit on some of the boundaries stones, half afraid to really relax in case he slipped through the stone and into the ground. He clenched his hands into fists in his lap. “Who are you?”

The girl smiled, tucking her hand away. “Ricarda.”

Lelouch waited for a title or any other information, but Ricarda was silent. He leaned back, turning the name over in his head as he tried to place the name. The girl wouldn’t be in the palace unless she was part of the staff or the royal family. He couldn’t imagine what would have happened to her to be buried in the bottom of a tower and forgotten about.

He looked back up at Ricarda, watching as she motioned with her good hand towards him. He was almost surprised that she was waiting for him to introduce himself. Then again, all the other ghosts didn’t seem to know what was going on currently in the world. If that was the case, then titles were useless as well.

The idea was surprisingly humbling, Lelouch shifting on his stone before giving into the request. “Lelouch.”

“A pleasure.”

“Likewise.”

Ricarda sighed and turned so she was facing the city. She smiled and wrapped her arms around her legs.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

Lelouch turned to face the city as well, scanning over the collection of buildings still under construction. Behind all of them, the imperial palace was starting to rise again, an almost exact copy of the first one.

He glanced back over at Ricarda, the girl shrugging. “I think it is. It’s full of life, and that’s beautiful.”

“Is that why you’re still here?”

She shook her head, her cheerful smile wavering. “I’m waiting for my sister. I saw her before that,” she gestured back towards the crater, “but she was buried somewhere else. I haven’t been able to find her.”

“She might not have found her way to the new city yet.”

“Maybe…but we can’t go too far out. This is the limit now. I’ve been testing the edge of my range and it’s Pendragon, just like it’s always been.” Ricarda bit her lip before shaking her head. “She might have left me. I don’t think she would leave on purpose, but there aren’t any real rules to this…”

Lelouch nodded slowly, staring at the imperial palace. Nunnally was somewhere in there, waiting. It wouldn’t be for him though, it couldn’t be. He was as stuck as Ricarda, watching as the city grew up around him and things moved on.

It was a wonder that she could still call it beautiful.

He cleared his throat, lifting his chin slightly. “I’ll keep an eye out for her.”

“You will?”

Lelouch nodded. He remembered what it had felt like when he had thought that Nunnally had been killed in the FLEIJA explosion. Thinking about it still brought a flutter of panic to his chest, ghost or not. He had worked under the assumption that Nunnally had been dead for a month. Ricarda had been looking for her sister for two years now.

Ricarda smiled at him and stood up, brushing off her skirt despite the fact that no dirt stuck on it. Lelouch tilted his head to the side, watching as she stretched her arms up to the sky. 

She looked happy, far happier than any of the other ghosts that Lelouch saw moving around the city. Despite the years since her death, she looked alive, far more than some of the people that Lelouch saw around Pendragon.

He leaned back on his hands, turning his gaze to the growing city. With the sun starting to set behind it all, Lelouch could almost find it beautiful.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [shiitsuu](http://shiitsuu.tumblr.com/) requested: I need a fic with Nunnally’s reaction to seeing Suzaku’s face for the first time like burning now.

Nunnally gripped the edge of her desk, using it as a shield between her and the man standing in the center of the room. She was sure that she looked completely lost, with her mouth opening and closing as she tried to process what she was seeing.

The man shifted in front of her, taking a slow step forward. Nunnally watched as she shifted the mask in his arms, flinching at the soft sound that it made as the man set it down on the side table in the room.

“Nunnally?”

The familiar voice made her scoot her chair back from the desk, Nunnally shaking her head. “No. It can’t be.”

“Nunnally, you don’t have to be afraid. It’s just-”

“I know.” She sucked in a quick breath, trying to gather herself back together but it was hard. Everything she thought she had known was falling apart. “I know who you are.”

The man looked shocked, Nunnally sure that she looked the same. After all, she had never expected to see Suzaku when she ordered Zero to remove his mask. She had expected to see someone from the Black Knights or from Schneizel’s coalition, not someone she had heard was dead and buried. Not someone who had helped Lelouch.

She didn’t move as Suzaku moved around the desk, relieved when he stopped a foot away from her. He reached out to her only to jerk his hands back, looking down at the ground.

The move gave her time to study him, because she had only ‘seen’ Suzaku with her hands. When they had first come to Japan, Suzaku had let her walk her fingers over his face to figure out his features. Lelouch had been there with them, giving Nunnally a running description of Suzaku. They had done it again when they had found Suzaku again.

Back then, Lelouch had said that Suzaku was almost the same. He had the same green eyes, the same brown hair - although it was messier now - and the same smile. Nunnally had felt the differences herself, how the baby fat on Suzaku’s face had nearly gone, how it had gone from soft curves to angles. She had agreed with Lelouch that Suzaku’s hair was a bit messier, but it felt just the same.

She had become used to Suzaku through her own touch and the descriptions she had heard from others. It was a shock to see him with her own eyes.

The only thing that remained the same from the descriptions she had heard was his hair. The brown curls were still there, slightly compressed from wearing the mask. His eyes were green, just like Lelouch had always told her, but they were tired now. It didn’t match the voice she remembered from her childhood and when she had been viceroy.

It was everything she thought she would never see again.

She pressed her hands to her mouth, looking him up and down before shaking her head. It was only when Suzaku knelt down in front of her that she lifted her hands away.

Nunnally reached out for him, her hands stalled in the space between them before Suzaku leaned into the touch.

She fell into the familiar pattern of feeling out the shape of his face, her breath catching on a sob when it was just what she remembered. It was better now, because she could see exactly what he looked like.

“Suzaku?”

“Yes.”

“I thought you were dead.”

“I’m sorry. It was part of the plan.”

She sucked in a quick breath, reaching for his hand. It was an old habit, one that she didn’t want to give up. Nunnally breathed out when Suzaku took her hand. She mourned the loss of being able to feel his skin, but she wouldn’t demand that he take off the glove.

“I thought I saw… What about Lelouch?”

Her heart sank when she saw Suzaku shake his head. “Nunnally, I’m sorry. It was the plan. I might be able to tell you the whole thing later but…”

“Why?”

Suzaku looked up abruptly, his mouth moving in a soundless answer before he shook his head. “It’s what had to be done.”

“Why? You had to know I wouldn’t want this.”

“It wasn’t about you, Nunnally. It was bigger.” Suzaku took a deep breath, Nunnally watching his shoulders shake with the motion. “It was for the world. It was the only way.”

She heard the catch in Suzaku’s voice, her own anger coming up short.

If Suzaku was Zero, then it meant that he had been the one to stab Lelouch. It had all been the plan, which meant that Suzaku must have known the entire time what he would have to do.

She pulled herself to the edge of her wheelchair, carding her hands through Suzaku’s hair before sliding completely out of the chair.

Nunnally heard Suzaku gasp, the man quick to catch her. She didn’t care, she was too busy wrapping her arms around Suzaku and clutching him close. “Don’t leave, please.”

She felt him hesitate, Suzaku almost drawing away from her before he wrapped his arms around her. “I won’t. I promised I’d watch over you.”

“Thank you.” Nunnally pressed her face against his shoulder. “Thank you, Suzaku.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roman AU

Lelouch had never cared much for the gladiatorial fights. There was only so much pleasure to be found in men slicing at each other with swords. Their prowess was something to be admired, as well as their physique, but Lelouch would have cared more if it had been more than single opponents. He liked the matches that represented great battles, watching the gladiators think and scheme their way to victory.

But the emperor preferred to watch single combat fights. Maybe it was because he didn’t want to have to follow complex battle plans during the moments he was supposed to be enjoying himself. Or maybe it was because he couldn’t be accused of rigging the fights. Too many of the right people dying would just bring the emperor himself into question, especially when he was the one who called the games into order. That kind of discarding was best saved for the triumphs or quick private affairs.

The games were for fun, to relax and talk with the nobles that the emperor had deigned to invite to his private seats. It was a place for small bits of work to be done, but mostly to enjoy the sight before him.

Lelouch went along because he was asked and because Charles couldn’t bring Marianne with him. The people weren’t too sure of their emperor’s consort, considering that she was from Gaul. The nobles could extol how she had been civilized and her good family lines, but that never would change the fact that she was from outside of Rome and that those family lines meant nothing to the rest of the empire. Charles had taken her because he had been intrigued, and still was considering the rate that he called for her still.

Besides, there was next to nothing to do back at the palace. All of the women were buried in their own tasks, things that none of them would let him touch. Cornelia was probably not even there, she was probably sneaking off with that equestrian of hers, the one that everyone pretended not to know about. With Schneizel gone to oversee a military campaign, that left Lelouch with only Odysseus or his father, neither of which were his first choice. He would have gone with Schneizel, but his mother had begged him not to go. Nearly seventeen years and she was still worried about his health.

He shifted in his seat, debating whether he should call for another cup of wine or try to doze off for a while when there was a cheer from the crowd. He didn’t even need to look out at the arena to know that the fight had ended, or to look over at his father to see what he would do. The two gladiators had fought well and had actually been entertaining for the crowd. Charles would spare the both of them, and probably keep them from fighting each other for a time. It had been a long while since one of the  _ludi_  had produced champions that could be pitted against each other.

The decision was met with applause, Lelouch joining in out of habit. He glanced over at his father, noting that the emperor was talking to the man on his right again, probably diving back into business until the next match began. Lelouch sighed, about to gesture for the slaves standing towards the back to bring him more wine when the crowd went silent.

Lelouch sat up, staring down into the arena as two men walked out. To him, it looked more like one man and a boy. They were both still dressed in the rags of what must have been their clothes, the sight making Lelouch sigh. So there was to be a match between fresh captives before things continued. At least it would be quick; both of them probably had no idea what they were doing. The winner might get picked up by a  _ludi_ or he might disappear until Charles held his next triumph. It didn’t matter.

It shouldn’t have mattered, except that he was eyeing the boy and finding himself noting the differences. He was skinny with curly brown hair. When he did look up to glance around, his eyes had an interesting slant to them, something that Lelouch had seen from some of the slaves that had come from the east or the drawings that Clovis had made of the traders from even further east that he had talked to. Whatever the boy was, he was something new and the stands were taking notice.

Lelouch looked over at his father, waiting to see what the emperor would do.

To his disappointment, his father just motioned for the match to begin, like it was nothing too different. Lelouch narrowed his eyes, biting back his annoyance. To his father, it was just another quick match, but Lelouch was sensing something different and he wanted to see what it was. He shifted forward in his seat, watching the two down in the arena.

The two captives circled each other warily, glancing between the sandy floor of the arena and the stands. Lelouch was sure that weapons had been thrown out there for them, just to make it interesting, but neither of them seemed to be moving for them. He let the breath he was holding hiss out between his teeth. Maybe he was wrong; maybe the two of them would just avoid each other until the crowd got impatient. Then Lelouch would have to watch a slaughter.

He slumped back into his seat, considering drawing Odysseus into a conversation when the boy in the arena moved.

The boy darted to one side, running for where Lelouch could see the glimmer of a sword. The other captive was just a beat behind, reaching out for his opponent.

The boy only slowed when he was close to the sword, skidding to a stop on the sand and reaching for the man’s arm. Lelouch leaned forward in his seat as the boy threw his weight forward, his mouth falling open as the man was thrown over the boy’s shoulder. It was an unexpected move, especially when the man looked about twice the size of the boy.

He realized that he had shifted to the edge of his seat, but he didn’t care, not when the boy was kneeling on the man’s back. Lelouch recognized the look that the boy had; it was one that he had seen soldiers have in practice. It was calculation, an obvious show of thought that Lelouch had been missing from the start of the games. The other gladiators were so well trained that their thought process wasn’t obvious any longer, but Lelouch could see it in the boy. He could see the exact moment that the boy decided to bring his foot down hard on his opponent’s wrist. The man shouted and curled around his injured wrist, giving the boy the time to dart over to the sword.

When he snatched up the sword, the boy held it oddly, two hands on the grip and the sword low. Lelouch winced at the stance. It was going to get him killed. Or maybe not, not with the way that the boy’s eyes were darting around the arena, still  _thinking_. Lelouch leaned a little bit more forward, watching as the boy caught onto something that he wanted and rushed forward.

His father wouldn’t have to make the call this match; it looked like the boy had already decided for him.

The man was just getting up, swaying onto his feet when the boy lunged forward, thrusting the sword through the man. The man gasped, the sound turning into a rattle as the boy backed away. He scrambled at the sword in his stomach for a moment before collapsing to his knees. It was a good thing his opponent was as good as dead, because the boy would have been killed with the way that he was backing away from the man, still looking at his hands.

Lelouch frowned at the motion, wanting to stand up like everyone else in the stands. He wasn’t about to start cheering, not when it looked like the boy was going to just break down. But no one was paying attention to that, they were probably shouting for the boy. With the way that the crowd was responding to him, some  _ludus_  would snap him up and Lelouch couldn’t imagine that ending well.

He turned at the sound of laughter, finding that his father and the noble were watching him. The noble laughed, leaning back in his chair. “It seems like your son is finally interested.”

“Indeed.” The noble might have brushed off Lelouch’s sudden interest, but Charles didn’t. He was giving Lelouch a long look, studying him closely. It was enough that Lelouch wanted to just wave it off. But Charles was too good at reading people, his gaze darting back to where the boy was standing in the arena. “The boy?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want him?”

Lelouch was surprised by the offer. His father wasn’t the type of give gifts. Maybe for the girls, but his sons he made work for their rewards. To have something offered to him so readily meant that there had to be some price.

He swallowed and nodded. “Yes. But what do you want from me?”

“I’m calling in a favor in advance, but he will be yours. I will not try to change that.” Lelouch didn’t get a chance to argue before his father was standing up.

The people in the stands cheered at the sight of the emperor. Charles spread his arms, taking in their praise before motioning for silence. The motion turned into a gesture to the boy. “His life will be spared and he will be brought to me. A performance like that deserves a reward.”

More cheers came from the people, but Lelouch’s attention was focused once again on the boy as he was led from the arena. He swallowed and looked back at his father as the emperor sat back down. “There has to be another limit.”

“Don’t you trust me, son?” When Lelouch was silent, Charles laughed. “Good, you’ve been paying attention. Fine. I was planning to save the favor for your marriage if you decided to fight. But I will tell you far in advance when I want to use my favor. Is that acceptable?”

Lelouch nodded numbly, not paying much attention to his father as the emperor called for the next rough of fights. Of course his father would have plans to get him to do what he wanted with marriage, not that Lelouch would have fought it much. As long as he was allowed his input, Lelouch had resigned himself to whatever fate that his father had planned for him. It had happened for the rest of his siblings, or most of them. Lelouch was not stupid enough to think that he would be able to dodge his father like Schneizel had or like Cornelia was attempting to do. Still, he was sure that his request was worth it.

He turned around when there was a rustling at the back of their box, watching as the boy was brought in. None of the others bothered to look back, Lelouch almost glad for it. He swallowed and motioned for the boy to come close to him.

There was a moment of hesitation before the boy was shoved forward, Lelouch watching as the boy stumbled to his side. He noted that the boy still had blood on his hands, deciding to ignore it in favor of looking at the boy. He was staring right back at Lelouch, with something like a frown on his face.

Lelouch licked his lips, reaching out to touch the boy’s arm. He felt the boy jerk under his touch, but he didn’t move away. Lelouch waited until the boy was still before talking. “Do you understand what just happened?”

Any hopes of communication were cut off when the boy just looked confused. He spoke what must have been a question, but Lelouch couldn’t understand what he said. So he would have to teach the boy Latin as well. It would give him something to do with his time.

Lelouch sighed, leaning back in his chair. He turned his attention back to the games, wishing that they were over already. Still, they couldn’t last much longer, which meant that he could get started with the boy sooner. He tightened his grip on the boy, a silent reminder to stay where he was. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the boy slump. 

If he needed any proof that the boy didn’t need coddling, all Lelouch had to do was look at the blood still on his hands. And yet there was something about the boy that made Lelouch want to pull him close and protect him. With the slightly overwhelmed and frightened look that was still on the boy’s face, it was all Lelouch could do to fight back the ridiculous urge to reach back and comb his hand through the boy’s hair until he settled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys got a double post today because I'm going to be traveling on the usual second posting day. That being said, I hope that all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous requested: "Anything that goes with "a world without me is a beautiful place.'' thx"

Suzaku had grown used to being superfluous.

Even before the Britannia came he had been shunted aside in favor of his father’s work. He had constantly been sent off to play outside or concentrate on his lessons. 

When Britannia invaded the message hadn’t been too different. He was the son of the prime minister, the last vestiges of government of a free Japan. He wasn’t needed and he wasn’t wanted, not when he could call up a rebellion in his name. But Suzaku had be too afraid to go that far because it would mean more killing, more blood on his hands.

That old worry didn’t matter anymore, not when he had spent two years soaked in blood from Japan and the EU. Not when there were times that he looked down and imagined he saw Euphy’s blood, the stains just as much his fault as they had been Lelouch’s.

Lelouch might have shot her, but Suzaku couldn’t help the nagging doubt in the back of his mind that said that Euphy had died because of him. He had forgotten that he was unneeded, unimportant, and she had paid the price for it.

He had atoned for that mistake already, just like he had atoned for the death of his father. He and Lelouch finally accomplished when eighteen years and whole armies hadn’t managed to do. 

They had killed Suzaku Kururugi.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written from a prompt from [hello-suzalulu](http://hello-suzalulu.tumblr.com/post/126965813031/suzalulu-prompt-3): Suzaku uses refrain on Lelouch during that period where he was captured. (In between R1 and R2) He discovers the truth behind Geass and everything.
> 
> But of course, he’s trapped with no where to run. He’s already brought Lelouch to the enemy. Or to his death. There’s nothing can he do but wait.
> 
> When the emperor passes his verdict, Suzaku is thankful. At least he has a chance now…
> 
> When given the first opportunity, he takes ‘Julius’ and runs. To where? He doesn’t know himself. Suzaku’s ends up in the EU with a broken knightmare and a unconscious boy in his hands.
> 
> With the little money he has on him, he rents a hotel for the night waiting for Lelouch to wake; memories or not.

Suzaku looked out at the lights of Carcassonne, his gaze straying up to the imposing castle. He shivered at the sight of the medieval fortress, quickly looking away.

He had tried his best to run as far away from Britannia as he could, but he kept finding places that reminded him of the empire that he had run away from. The old castle might have looked nothing like the Imperial Palace at Pendragon, but it certainly reminded him of Britannia. It was sturdy, old and had been a seat of authority. The sight of old walls so close might have comforted him if he could just get the voice in his head that told him to keep running to quiet down.

Suzaku didn’t know if it was a remnant of Lelouch’s geass or his own instinct that was telling him to keep moving, but he doubted that it mattered. All it was doing was reminding him that he wasn’t out of reach of Britannia. Suzaku doubted that there was actually a place where he could safely hide from Britannia, all he could do was try and stay ahead of the empire or find someone that would be willing to take them in and protect them. After all, he had something important to trade.

He was the Knight of Seven, privy to some of Britannia’s political secrets. He hadn’t gotten a chance to look at too many of their battle plans, but he knew about the moves that Britannia intended to make in Eastern Europe. He knew about the political situation in Euro-Britannia, something that he had studied to better understand his post. He could also tell them about Japan. He couldn’t quite give them the Black Knights, but he was sure that the EU would be glad to have something to help. If Britannia was distracted by the Black Knights then Suzaku was sure that they wouldn’t be able to completely focus on the EU.

The Black Knights might all be scattered or in jail, but Suzaku could give the EU one better.

He could give them Zero.

Suzaku gripped the railing of the balcony tighter, resisting the urge to turn around and look into the room behind him.

That was almost too much like what Lelouch would think. And, as much as he hated it, he would have to think like Lelouch to survive. With the Lancelot broken down from his frantic flight across Britannia, the Atlantic and Southern France, he didn’t have too many assets left. He didn’t have the money to bribe officials, the little he had carried with him had gone to the hotel room for a few days. The Lancelot might get him something if he salvaged the parts, but Suzaku was sure that the Knightmare would be more valuable if he was offered with it. 

Lelouch was the only thing left to him, a prince of the empire and Zero. That had to be enough to convince any EU official to give him a chance.

Of course, that all depended on Suzaku reversing what Charles had gone to Lelouch.

“Euphy?” Suzaku flinched at the near whisper that came from the room behind him. He ducked his head, his arms shaking as the voice continued. “Euphy, no! Ignore that order. Ignore…”

It was a relief when Lelouch stopped, Suzaku kneeling down to press his head against the cool metal of the railing.

Suzaku didn’t know if it was the rewrite of Lelouch’s memories or the Refrain that he had forced on the prince just before they had reached Pendragon. All he knew that it was torture to listen to Lelouch relive sections of his life. The prince hadn’t stopped talking about sunflowers and the lake on their way over.

The little bits of memory weren’t any help, not even with the information he had gotten out of Lelouch with the Refrain. It had taken him weeks to reach the realization that Lelouch hadn’t geassed Euphemia with the intention to kill her. Suzaku had spent hours turning over the few sentences he had gotten out of Lelouch before the prince had been swept away on the waves of Refrain, and even then it had been too late.

No matter which way he looked at it, he was stuck in the EU with a possibly ruined prince. Lelouch hadn’t woken up since Charles had called Suzaku in to oversee a more complete overwrite of Lelouch’s memories. Suzaku wasn’t even sure if Lelouch would be the one to wake up. For all he knew, Julius Kingsley might be the one to surface. If that happened, Suzaku could only hope that some of Lelouch remained behind in Julius.

If he didn’t, then Suzaku had no idea what he was going to do. Fighting whoever Britannia sent against him didn’t sound appealing and he didn’t know where he could find the remains of the Black Knights. He didn’t even know if he wanted to go back to them. They were still products of Zero, of Lelouch. He was a traitor to them, which meant he was more likely to be taken as a prisoner by them. Besides, running back to Japan would be like handing Lelouch over.

He sighed and opened his eyes, staring down at the street before standing up. He wasn’t good at complex plans, not like Lelouch was. He was far better following his instinct, but that might not be enough to keep them out of Britannia’s hands.

“Suzaku? What is it?”

He turned around at the sound of his name, part of him hoping that Lelouch was awake. The lump in the bed hadn’t changed.

Suzaku dragged his fingers through his hair, breathing out slowly. There wasn’t anything left to do but wait. If Lelouch didn’t wake up during the night, then he would go out and try to fix what he could of the Lancelot. It didn’t feel right leaving Lelouch on his own, but Suzaku couldn’t just sit still and wait. He had never been good at either of them. At least if Lancelot was fixed they would have a way out if Britannia came after them.

He walked back into the room, tugging the balcony doors closed after him. On his way over to the bed, he grabbed one of the chairs, pulling it up close to the bed.

Suzaku sank into the chair, shifting so he could keep an eye on the door as well as the bed. He didn’t think he could stay up to keep watch, but he could at least be prepared. 

He reached out to touch the gun that was resting on the bedside table, running his fingers over it. There was a full clip in the gun, a good defense for as long as it lasted.

Suzaku slouched back, letting his hand drop back to the armrest.

The lump in the bed jerked, Suzaku’s breath catching as it moved around a bit. He halfway expected Lelouch to just settle and fall asleep again, but the person in the bed jerked upright. 

Lelouch yanked the covers from his legs, looking like he was going to scramble out of the bed when he stopped in the middle of the motion. His gaze raked over the room, jerking to Suzaku as he froze.

Suzaku tried his best to look relaxed, carefully raising his hands to show that he wasn’t armed. 

Lelouch’s gaze jumped over to the gun on the bedside table before he scooted back, but he didn’t run. He didn’t seem to be in a panic, just confused. Suzaku tried to smile encouragingly, hoping that Lelouch would calm down enough to give Suzaku what he needed.

Lelouch glanced over to the door before he resettled himself on the bed. “Where am I?”

“Carcassonne, France.”

Lelouch made a face. “That’s strange. I thought…nevermind.” He shook his head and fixed Suzaku with a steady glare. “Who are you?”

Suzaku felt his stomach twist at the question. Lelouch would have known him no matter the situation. “Suzaku Kururugi.”

“An Eleven.” Suzaku couldn’t help the way he recoiled at the slur, Lelouch not seeming to notice. He was too busy staring at him. “You’re the Knight of Seven, aren’t you?”

Suzaku didn’t get the chance to answer, Lelouch standing up and walking over to look out the window that led to the balcony. “Something must have gone wrong on our way to St. Petersburg. I assume this is a short stop until we get our transport worked out. The emperor won’t like the delay, and I don’t want to disappoint him.”

A quick spasm crossed Lelouch’s face, Suzaku not even sure that Lelouch registered it. The expression would have been something that Lelouch would have done, not this man. Not Julius Kingsley.

He slumped back in his chair, watching as Lelouch - no, Julius- continued to investigate the room. Julius muttered to himself as he moved around, Suzaku catching snippets of what the man said to himself. All of them seemed to be references to the emperor, half thought explanations about what had happened or plans to rectify the situation. Suzaku just watched with a growing sense of terror.

Of course Charles would have made Julius completely loyal to him; it was something that was sure to have annoyed Lelouch. 

It just made things harder for them. Taking Julius to anyone from the EU or to the Black Knights would mean taking him prisoner and keeping a close watch on him as they moved around the EU or through the Chinese Federation. Suzaku wasn’t even sure if Julius would cooperate once they got to anyone who could protect them, or if he would be able to sell Julius as Lelouch.

That Julius was the one who had woken up had complicated everything. Suzaku didn’t know how long he could keep up a lie to keep Julius moving in the right direction. He didn’t even know if Julius would agree to stay with him instead of heading off to St. Petersburg on his own.

All Suzaku knew was that there was a very slim chance that the two of them were going to get out of the situation alive.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt requested by anonymous: "Prompt: Lelouch didn't know what he was expecting when he ran away from home (because of a stupid argument with his parents) and ends up in the presence of a merman. Then he gets dragged into a fight with the mermans (of opposing seas?) and ends up helping Suzaku win more land for his (coven? group? clan?). This is very crackish, I'm so sorry lol"

Lelouch dangled his feet into the cool water, resting his chin in his hands. On the surface, it looked like nothing much was going on in the ocean that stretched out in front of him. But that was a lie. There was an entire war going on.

He kicked out his leg, watching as it moved through the water. Somewhere below the surface there was a series of raids and counterattacks, precise movements that were bringing one side closer to victory. Or to defeat.

Lelouch shivered and twisted to look over his shoulder. The outcropping he was sitting on led back into a cave, part of the floor underwater. Beyond that were the few bags that he had brought with him while on the run and the cot he had been sleeping on. Propped to one side was a collection of lashed together driftwood with rocks and shells glued into place, his map of the battlefield. He was tempted to drag out the board and run over the plan of attack that he had explained, not that it would help. As soon as he told his allies the plan, it was out of his hands.

He pulled his feet up out of the water, staring out into the distance before making a disgusted sound. Sitting and staring wouldn’t help any of them, but it was hard to do anything else. As soon as the merfolk went underwater, he was left to his own devices. Without any of his rebellion force hanging around, there wasn’t much for him to do.

Lelouch glanced down the beach, tempted to walk the mile to the boardwalk. He could use the phone down there to check on his sister. Lelouch doubted that anything had changed at home, but it was important to check if she was okay. Life with their cousins had to be better than life with their parents. 

While he was down by the boardwalk he could always check to see if there were any part time jobs that he could use to occupy his time.

The merfolk brought him enough food to live on and anything they found from various shipwrecks as payment for his help, but it wasn’t everything that he needed to live on. He had to supplement his income by working at the nearby town. There was always something that needed doing, mostly on the boardwalk. He had steady employment by the business owners who needed their accounts done, but a little extra wouldn’t hurt. 

If he could get enough, then he could afford one of the houses close to the beach and move Nunnally away from his parents.

Lelouch stood up, brushing himself off. He could always stop by Milly Ashford’s house for a shower and dinner, although he was sure that he wouldn’t be able to sit still when he didn’t know about what was happening under the sea.

He swayed on the outcrop, feeling foolish as he kept giving himself a few more minutes as he waited to see if someone was coming to report. 

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw a head pop above the surface of the water. The merperson was too far away for him to see who it was. The head disappeared quickly, Lelouch seeing their tail appear briefly before sinking under the water. The only way Lelouch could tell that the merperson was heading his way was the slight wake on the surface.

Lelouch stepped back, picking his way down to where the cave’s floor dipped down into the water. He didn’t have to wait long before the merperson slid up onto the shelf.

He sat down on one of the rocks he had rolled close by, smiling as he watched the mermaid settle in place. “How’d it go, Suzaku?”

Suzaku sighed, rocking slightly as he got into a more comfortable position. “We managed to beat them back. Ohgi will be by later with the exact numbers. Kallen was talking about pushing a bit more while they’re in retreat, but I was sent back to help with the injured.”

“It’s a victory.”

Suzaku shrugged, Lelouch far too used to the merman’s reluctance for fighting to take it personally. “There were fewer casualties than normal.”

“It’s still a victory.” Lelouch smiled as he gazed out to sea. He had never been sure how far off the battle was, but he knew that his merpeople were starting to push further out. He pulled his gaze back to Suzaku. “We’ll have to go over the battle and what we have to do next.”

Suzaku didn’t bother to hide his wince, but Lelouch was used to his distaste for the ongoing war. There was no other way for them to win back their lands, not unless they were happy with living in near slavery. Still a briefing would be useful to assess the condition of his troops. They had been successful for a while now, it wouldn’t hurt for him to scale back the effort for a bit. His troops needed time to recover and it would make Suzaku stop looking at him with such a hurt expression.

Lelouch pulled his legs up, resting his chin on his knees. He might need to check on the boardwalk, but that could wait until later. He had a rebellion to run and his soldiers would be coming in over the day. He needed to check in with them more than anything.

With the afternoon coming on, it would be too hot to go to the boardwalk. He would have to wait until the evening to make the trip, which meant that he might as well spend the hottest part of the way in the water.

He squinted out at the ocean, looking for any signs that there were other merfolk in the water. He doubted that any of their enemies would push so deep into their territory, but there was always a first time.

Lelouch sighed and scooted off the rock, letting his feet dangle in the water. “We’ll wait for the others.”

“And then?”

“I think your victories deserve a celebration. Don’t you?”

Suzaku didn’t answer, but Lelouch hadn’t expected one. The merman just shifted so they were almost sitting beside each other, Suzaku’s body curved so he could keep his tail in the water. 

Lelouch watched Suzaku’s fins drift in the water for a moment before turning his gaze out to the ocean, waiting for the wakes of his army to appear.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous requested "I would to see more of your SuzaLulu from the Sword and Shield series (seriously my favourite fanfic out of all the randoms I have read from! it's such an epic). SuzaLulu in university setting? Lately Lelouch realizes Suzaku has been distant, Suzaku cancels dates on him, and just disappears all the time. Suzaku is actually trying to get the ring (a gift) done on time for Valentines that he wants to give Lelouch."

_February 13, 2038_

Lelouch tried to focus on the textbooks scattered over the bed and not on the phone on the bedside table. He had three papers due starting the edge of the month so there was more important things for him to be focused on. That still didn’t stop him from glancing over at his phone, waiting for the text to come through.

His phone remained dark, Lelouch letting a breath hiss out through his teeth before turning back to his textbooks. 

The books weren’t much of a distraction, Lelouch scanning over a discussion over the actions of the Demon Emperor and what they had done for Empress Nunnally. Reading over what people that thought he had done just reminded him of the empty space by his side.

He gritted his teeth, leaning forward as he tried to force his concentration. Suzaku being late wasn’t a rare thing, certainly not something to get worried about.

Milly might have kept him late to help plan for some upcoming festival or Rivalz needed him for something. Suzaku had also been looking for a job for once he was done with high school, so he might be out going through his list. There were plenty of other things that Suzaku could have been doing, but Lelouch couldn’t stop his mind from jumping to assassination.

He laughed at the thought, the sudden burst of sound making Arthur jump. 

Arthur glared at him, flicking his tail before jumping off the bed. The cat padded out into the hallway, probably heading down to the kitchen. It wasn’t quite dinner time yet, but that wouldn’t stop Arthur from begging for scraps.

Lelouch sighed and leaned back on his hands, staring at the array of books before him. He shook his head, resisting the urge to laugh at himself again.

It was very implausible that someone would want to assassinate Suzaku. To the people in this age, he was no one really. He was just another child that had been ruined by the Demon Emperor’s wars.

Lelouch flinched at the thought, his fingers curling into the covers. He had been thinking about the future when he had decided on his course, but it had been a far future. He hadn’t bothered to think about the immediate generation. It was something that haunted him at the oddest moments.

He groaned, reaching forward to slam one of his books closed. He didn’t feel like reading any more of his failures. In the same motion he scooped up his phone, flipping it open to text Suzaku only to come to a stop.

He stared at the blank screen for a moment before tossing the phone back onto the bed. 

Suzaku hadn’t been the best at answering texts over the past few weeks. Lelouch had understood the distraction for the planning of the Christmas and New Years celebrations at Ashford, but he thought that it had calmed down. If Milly had been hatching another scheme, Lelouch was sure that he would have heard about it by now.

He frowned, not pleased with the answer he had worked through. It wasn’t much of an answer at all.

Lelouch tapped his fingers against the bed, trying to slow his thoughts as they raced around. There was no point in wearing himself down with worry without any real evidence. He would have to be patience and wait to charge into any battle.

The reassurance didn’t help, nor did the looming deadline of his papers.

He rubbed his eyes, perking up when he heard the front door open. There was a pause before Suzaku called out that he was home, Lelouch hearing the soft sound of Suzaku putting his shoes away. It was followed by the sound of Suzaku calling out to Cecile before bounding up the stairs to his room.

Lelouch tried to look like he was busy studying, failing when Suzaku peeked into the room. 

Suzaku glanced down at the books on the bed, making a sympathetic face. “Still working on it?”

“No. It’s a whole new set.”

“Oh.” Suzaku placed his bag on the floor, coming to sit on the edge of the bed. “They just don’t give you a break.”

“I didn’t expect them to.” Lelouch sighed and leaned back against him. “They expect a lot out of their students. Anyone else in my class could be the next Japanese Prime Minister.”

He felt Suzaku start at that. “Politics?”

“It’s what I can do.” Lelouch shrugged. “I have…a few things that I would like to fix.”

He was relieved that Suzaku didn’t ask. He wasn’t quite ready to explain himself, not when it was the biggest issue. 

Lelouch let his head roll just enough to see Suzaku. “You’ve been coming home late. Milly working you hard?”

Suzaku’s wince was answer enough. Lelouch frowned and pulled away from him, shifting so he was facing Suzaku. “So where have you been?”

Suzaku shifted on the edge of the bed, Lelouch fully expecting him to lie. It would be the easy way out and Lelouch would never know. It wouldn’t stop him from pushing, especially since it had become a pattern.

He slumped as Suzaku got off the bed. He watched as Suzaku walked over to his bag, rooting around in it. Suzaku pulled something out, turning it over and over in his hands before shrugging.

“I was going to give you this on Valentine’s Day, but you figured me out.” Suzaku shifted something from hand to hand before coming back over to the bed. 

He dropped a small box onto the bed, Lelouch slowly picking it up. Lelouch glanced back at Suzaku, watching as his boyfriend rubbed the back of his neck. He raised an eyebrow and opened the box, sucking in a quick breath at the gold ring inside.

When he looked back at Suzaku, his boyfriend was blushing. “We got a student from the EU and she was wearing one of these. I asked her about it and then I couldn’t get it out of my mind.”

He leaned forward to take the ring from the box, Suzaku taking Lelouch’s right hand. Suzaku slid the ring onto Lelouch’s ring finger, the point of the heart clasped in the two hands pointed towards his wrist.

Suzaku didn’t give up his hold on Lelouch’s hand, his blush deepening. “She said that you wore it like this when you were in a relationship.”

“Suzaku-”

“I don’t know what I was thinking. It’s just that you knighted me and I just wanted to do something to…to…”

“Claim me?” Lelouch smiled as Suzaku looked away. He doubted that Suzaku had thought of the action like that, but Lelouch didn’t care.

He stood up, stroking his fingers over the side of Suzaku’s face. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”

Suzaku looked relieved, Lelouch feeling him relax. He leaned closer, admiring the way the ring looked on his hand before kissing Suzaku.

Suzaku responded with more fervor that Lelouch expected, backing the two of them towards the bed. Lelouch let Suzaku move the two of them, ready to pull Suzaku down onto the bed when he heard a clatter from the kitchen.

Lelouch pulled away, glancing at the door before sighing and patting Suzaku’s shoulder. “Later.”

“Yeah.” Suzaku sighed, leaning his forehead against Lelouch’s. “I’ll take you up on that.”

“I’ll be waiting.” Suzaku reached up to brush his fingers over the back of Lelouch’s right hand before he stepped away.

Lelouch watched Suzaku go, sitting down heavily on the bed when Suzaku slipped out into the hall.

He took a deep breath, breathing it out slowly. Lelouch gave himself the length of the breath before holding up his hand, watching the ring sparkle in the light from the room.

The claim was more subtle than anything that Lelouch had done, but Suzaku hadn’t been born into a world of grand and elaborate gestures. And it meant that much more for not being a grand gesture. 

It was small, heartfelt and perfect.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Taken from the prompt by [hello-suzalulu](http://hello-suzalulu.tumblr.com/): Lelouch is an world famous actor.   
> Suzaku is his stuntman.
> 
> The two begin with tolerance/borderline annoyance with each other. After they work on several movies together and soon enough become good friends.
> 
> This start to spiral out of control when they both seem to want each other in another way (that’s not so professional)

Lelouch had yet to see the entire fight sequence. He had been present for the start and end of it, but those had just been the first few attacks and parries before they had moved on to the next sequence. He had swung the sword around in a vague approximation of fighting when they had needed close shots of his face while in combat, but nothing too strenuous. The rest of the fight was left in the capable hands of the stunt team, which was a problem unto itself.

He couldn’t stop staring.

There was no doubt that Kallen Kozuki and Suzaku Kururugi were some of the best stunt people; it was why Lelouch always recommended Suzaku for his double in every movie he was in. It usually didn’t take much convincing to get Kallen on the team either, especially when putting the two together made amazing sequences. The two of them were incredibly skilled, which was the only reason Lelouch had stuck with Suzaku when the two of them had been at each other’s throats. He might not have personally liked the man, but there was no doubt that Suzaku was good at what he did, and Lelouch could appreciate that.

The problem came once the short spats and annoyed silences slid into something more like understanding. The fact that Lelouch could stand to be in Suzaku’s presence let to more long talks, more time spent together and, fatally, more staring.

It wasn’t like he hadn’t watched Suzaku before. Good stunt work was always admired, especially when the directors seemed to want more with each film they were put on.  _Rise of the Wyvern_  included a stunt where Suzaku had flipped into a tank, all done with only safety lines when they learned that Suzaku could pull off the move on his own.  _Return to Avalon_  had had long battle sequence that had involved Suzaku jumping on and off a horse as it had galloped along a ridge.  _The Demon King_  had been full of complex martial art sequences and wire work. The sequel was proving to be just as technical, which Lelouch was sure would blow audiences out of the water.

He flinched when Suzaku went down, his reaction deceptive considering that the pad he had landed on. Suzaku spent a while swaying to his feet before charging forward again, swinging his katana to meet Kallen’s next attack.

The two of them backed down the set again, trading off a mix of sword blows and marital arts. Lelouch glanced over at Tohdoh, watching the stunt coordinator roll his eyes as the director continued to beg for more intensity, more flare. 

Suzaku’s sword went clattering away from him, Suzaku barely giving it a glance before he lunged forward, punching Kallen before the two hit the ground to grapple for the remaining sword.

“Cut!” 

Lelouch jumped at the director’s shout, his gaze flickering to the man before going back to where Suzaku and Kallen were still sprawled on the floor, the two of them laughing about something.

He swallowed back the flash of jealousy he felt when Kallen rested her hand on Suzaku’s hip. There was nothing in the motion, she was just checking to see that everything was still okay with him. From the way that Suzaku didn’t even react, it  _had_  to be nothing.

Lelouch still looked away, working to push any intruding emotions away. He had to be professional about the whole thing or else their relationship would start to crumble back into the way it had been before. Lelouch didn’t think he could stand that. It still wasn’t enough to calm the little voice inside his head that raged at the idea. Suzaku was  _his_ , he had found him  _first_.

He looked up as the director clapped his hands, walking over to where Kallen and Suzaku were hauling themselves up from the floor. The three of them were too far away for Lelouch to hear what they were saying, but he could guess that they were tweaking the fight or going to be moving on to the next section.

Kallen had gone from laughing and smiling to serious, nodding along as the director motioned with his hands. 

Suzaku seemed to be paying attention too, at least until he glanced over at Lelouch and smiled. He raised his hand slightly, fingers splaying out in an abbreviated wave before his attention was back on the director.

Lelouch returned the wave even though he knew Suzaku wouldn’t see it. He jerked his hand back down to his side, quashing the urge to walk over and listen. He wasn’t going to be involved in any of the stunt work, so all he had to do was wait until they worked through this sequence and then he could get back to work. But Suzaku would still be on his mind.

He rubbed a hand over his face, using the motion to hide his expression. When he was sure that it was back to normal, he dropped his hand away and took a deep breath.

The obvious solution was to deal with his growing attraction. And he had to do it quickly before he made a fool of himself with fond smiles and stolen glances.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the prompt: you need a plus-one for your brother’s wedding so i’m going as a favor but there’s been a misunderstanding and now your whole family thinks we’re engaged.

C.C. leaned back against the bar, turning a glass of champagne in her fingers. Lelouch had ditched her momentarily to talk with Suzaku, not that she blamed him. The groom had been mobbed from the moment he had walked into the ballroom. From the brief glances that C.C. had seen, Suzaku had been looking overwhelmed and lost, a condition that a lot of the guests looked like they shared. C.C. supposed that the bar wasn’t mobbed because it was still early on in the reception. She would give it another half an hour before the innocuous insults started flying and the alcohol started flowing.

She looked up as Lelouch briefly appeared in the crush of people. He signaled that he would be over in a moment just before he was swept away by another relative. C.C. didn’t recognize the one who grabbed his arm, and she doubted that she ever would.

She had once compared his family to the royal families of Europe. Lelouch had sputtered, but he hadn’t been able to refute the claim. C.C. believed that he hadn’t even tried, because it was true. His family was a complicated mess of people who couldn’t stand each other.

They seemed to be behaving themselves, at least for Euphemia’s sake, which meant that it would be at least one family gathering that she had been dragged to that didn’t nearly end in a fistfight.

C.C. sipped at her champagne, nodding to herself. The quality of the alcohol would go some way to help the various members of the family calm, at least for a while. Once some people overindulged things would get interesting. C.C. would almost be tempted to stay for that. At Schneizel’s birthday, Charles and Vincent had almost come to blows, an interesting end to an otherwise dull party.

She glanced at the empty glass before putting it on the bar. She nodded at Rivalz, the man returning the nod before he went back to serving drinks. Lelouch would be back to talk to his friend soon enough and C.C. would take the chance to get another drink. She didn’t want to get drunk too soon, she would miss the best part of any gathering of the Britannia family.

C.C. sighed and looked over the crowd. She wanted to congratulate Suzaku and Euphemia, but that would have to wait until she saved Lelouch from whatever family member had cornered him. The reception should go for at least an hour or two without one of the famous Britannia family arguments. Suzaku and Euphemia deserved that much.

She stepped away from the bar, only to have someone stumble into her. C.C. turned her head, recognizing Lelouch’s cousin before she slipped away from his wandering hands.

Clovis gave her a confused look, blinking rapidly before he flashed her his usual charming smile. “Ah, C.C. I’m sorry, I didn’t recognize you.”

C.C. shrugged, taking a step further away from him. From the way Clovis was slightly slurring his words and the alcohol that she could smell on his breath, he had started to celebrate earlier than anyone else at the reception.

He turned toward the bar, motioning for Rivalz before turning to look at her again. “You look ravishing in that dress.”

C.C. shrugged, her lack of an answer not seeming to deter Clovis.

“You know, this is the tenth time you’ve come to one of our family events with Lelouch. That sort of regular attendance doesn’t go unnoticed.” His gaze flickered down to her hands, C.C. suddenly of the ring that she was wearing on her left hand. Clovis smiled at her, tapping his fingers on the bar before pressing a hand to his lips. “Your secret is safe with me.”

He picked up his drink from the bar, saluting her with it before wandering off into the crowd of people, probably to start spreading the news that he had just learned.

C.C. sighed, pulling the ring from her left hand and setting it back onto her right. Moving her rings around was a bad habit she had picked up during high school, and the reason she never wore rings. She turned the ring around her finger before tapping on the bar.

Rivalz seemed to understand, making a sympathetic face as he slid her another flute of champagne. It wasn’t the drink that she would have wanted, but she suspected that Rivalz was saving the hard stuff for later that night.

She nodded her thanks, leaning back against the bar as she sipped at her drink, considering her options.

It would be better to tell Lelouch before the rumor really started circulated around. C.C. couldn’t imagine what Clovis would really twist it into. And, as much as she would have enjoyed Lelouch trying to fend off his relatives she didn’t want to have to do the same thing. 

The only other option was to let Clovis spread his rumor and hope the family didn’t believe him, but C.C. didn’t trust the Britannias that far. There would be wedding announcements as soon as it was deemed socially acceptable.

C.C. sighed and set her glass back down on the counter. She squared her shoulders and wadded into the crowd, intending to find Lelouch before the two of them became the next subject on the family rumor mill.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous requested: "During the middle of their lovemaking session, one of them (Suzuku or Lelouch) says their safe word and the other person stops right away, a little confused because everything is really vanilla and romantic."

For a boy that seemed to be enamored with words, Lelouch was surprisingly silent during sex. Suzaku had learned to read Lelouch through the arch of his back and the quiet gasps of breath that sometimes escaped. It was a continuation of their secret language, one of silent signs and great meaning.

He dragged his fingers up the underside of the arm that Lelouch had laid out by his head. That drew another shiver from Lelouch, Suzaku sliding their fingers together. Suzaku could feel the rub of a callous on Lelouch’s finger, probably the only one that Lelouch had. He shifted his hand back, rubbing his finger over the callous before moving his hand over to Lelouch’s hair.

Lelouch shuddered underneath him, tipping his head into the touch.

Suzaku smiled, shifting up with his next thrust to try and catch Lelouch’s lips. He didn’t get the chance, Lelouch arching with a broken gasp. 

His hand slipped out of Lelouch’s hair, settling on the side of Lelouch’s face. His thumb brushed along Lelouch’s cheekbone, the motion ending right underneath Lelouch’s left eye.

Suzaku felt Lelouch tense. He leaned in for a kiss when Lelouch jerked his head away, breaking his silence with a single shaky word. “ _Himawari_.”

Suzaku stopped abruptly, staring down at Lelouch as his mind processed the word. Hearing words spoken in his native language still brought him up short, which was the point.

He hovered over Lelouch for a moment before rolling to the side, putting a bit of distance between himself and Lelouch.

Suzaku let the silence linger a little while longer, watching as Lelouch panted for breath. He spoke up when a blush started to rise over Lelouch’s cheek. “Are you alright?”

“Yes.” The reply was curt, Lelouch quickly rolling over and putting his back to Suzaku.

Suzaku swallowed and scooted a little closer, careful to leave space between them. “Did I hurt you?”

Lelouch shook his head, still remaining curled up on the other side of the bed. Suzaku watched as Lelouch’s shoulders shook, leaning forward only to realize that he was shivering.

He groped for something to throw over Lelouch’s naked body. He found his cloak at the end of his bed, tossing it over Lelouch. Suzaku was glad that Lelouch was quick to pull the cloak into a better position over him.

Suzaku crossed his legs, watching as Lelouch tucked his limbs into the space that the cloak allowed him. It almost looked like Lelouch had disappeared completely, swathed in the fabric.

He dared to scoot closer, relieved when Lelouch didn’t flinch away. Suzaku dared to rest a hand on Lelouch’s shoulder, rubbing it when Lelouch didn’t move.

It was only when Lelouch had relaxed that Suzaku dared speak up again. “What happened?”

The question got another wince from Lelouch. Suzaku was about to back off when Lelouch peered out from underneath the hood of the cloak. He got the impression of a sheepish look before Lelouch sat up.

Lelouch didn’t let go of the cloak, shifting it as he settled until it was over his shoulders. Lelouch tugged it closed over his body, only his toes showing. He cleared his throat, still refusing to look Suzaku in the eye. “You hand was close to my eye and I couldn’t move.”

Suzaku stared at Lelouch, trying to pick through what Lelouch was willing to tell him. For once, he almost wished that Lelouch would just speak until he got it. Instead, Lelouch went back to silence again.

Suzaku sighed and moved to sit next to Lelouch, resting an arm along Lelouch’s shoulders. He was relieved when Lelouch leaned into him, the emperor sighing and tipping his head to rest on Suzaku’s shoulder.

He caught a flash of red in Lelouch’s eye, something that he was noticing more and more often. Lelouch’s purple eyes now always had a redish cast, but sometimes he could see something else, a red flaw that ran solidly across his eye. Even with the months that they had spent together, Suzaku still felt a thrill of fear when he saw it. 

Suzaku frowned, reaching out to cup Lelouch’s chin. He carefully tilted Lelouch’s face up, seeing the flash of red again. His gaze lingered on Lelouch’s left eye, the one that he had held closed while Charles had rewritten his memories. 

He dragged his thumb over Lelouch’s chin before letting him go. Suzaku wouldn’t push, not when Lelouch was still watching him warily. Instead, he let his arm settle back over Lelouch’s shoulder, Suzaku careful to keep himself looking relaxed.

Lelouch wasn’t afraid of him, not with the way that Lelouch was leaning into him. But it was obvious that Lelouch didn’t want to talk about it.

Suzaku didn’t want to broach the subject either, not when he was still partially convinced that he had been right. Lelouch had known what would happen if he was caught, he should have been ready to be turned in. Charles’ geass was the one thing Suzaku regretted now. In the heat of the moment, he hadn’t cared. Lelouch had taken away everything he had cared about, so it had only made sense that Lelouch suffer the same fate.

He sighed and rested his head back against the headboard. Now that he knew the full story what he really thought was complicated. At least now the SAZ disaster made sense, for what little that meant in the end.

Suzaku lifted his head slightly as he felt Lelouch press their palms together. Lelouch didn’t move closer, which meant things weren’t back to normal, but it was an attempt to bridge the situation. Suzaku was sure that Lelouch would be back to his usual self in the morning, frantically working towards Zero Reqiuem.

He turned his head, pressing his face into Lelouch’s hair. He smiled when he felt Lelouch breathe out. The sounds of Lelouch living were becoming just as precious as the sounds that Lelouch made when they were fucking. 

Suzaku shifted so his fingers slid against Lelouch’s, not pushing to the point where their fingers were twined. Lelouch didn’t protest, Suzaku feeling Lelouch lean more heavily against him before his breathing evened out. It wasn’t sleep, but Suzaku was willing to let Lelouch get away with the attempt at putting off more questions. He was just content to hold Lelouch and listen to him breathe.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt: "I’m a writer and when it gets close to my deadlines I neglect taking care of myself so you’ll pop in my house every so often to make sure I’m doing okay’ AU."
> 
> Posted early because I'm going to be away on Christmas. But, a Merry Christmas to everyone.

Schneizel rested his chin in his hand, staring at the blinking cursor on his screen. He always laughed when other writers said that it mocked them, because the cursor and the blank line that followed never did. Except when he got close to the date circled in red on his calendar. 

He sighed and drummed the fingers of his other hand against the desk. The article shouldn’t have been hard. Out of all the others in the journal, it should have been the easiest. Schneizel had purposefully let it sit longer than the other articles he was in charge of because he had assumed that he could easily write it. It had been a logical choice to give more time to the more complicated articles because he had known what to do. Apparently, he had overestimated himself.

Schneizel rocked back in his chair, running a hand through his hair. The problem seemed to be the angle. He had started to do his usual write up, but it had felt stale. Then again, he had been doing the article the same way for a year, maybe it was time to try something new.

The problem was that he couldn’t think of anything new. He felt like any idea had been wrung out of him by chasing down the last article. Usually, he would take a moment to write out his ideas by hand or take a moment to get away from the computer to reevaluate what he was doing, but he didn’t have the time. He had mismanaged the time allotted and was suffering for it now.

He sighed and rubbed his forehead, looking up when he heard the backdoor to his house open.

“Hello?”

Schneizel slumped in his chair at the sound of the voice, glancing at the clock. If Kanon was over, it meant that it was around 6:00 in the evening, later than Schneizel had thought. He glanced up at his calendar, staring at the red circle before shaking his head.

“Schneizel?” Kanon didn’t bother asking where he was, Schneizel sure that the man knew all too well where he was. Schneizel heard the man sigh as Kanon came into the room. He swiveled his chair around, folding his hands on his lap as Kanon shook his head. “Have you slept?”

He blinked, running back the past few hours in his head.

He remembered Kanon coming the night before and the two of them having dinner. Schneizel wasn’t exactly clear what they talked about, he remembered snippets of Kanon complaining about being the aide to the mayor. It was the usual round of complaints, Schneizel carefully filing them away to use later. After the dishes had been cleaned, they had both gone their separate ways. Schneizel had promised himself that he would finish up the article. Beyond that had been a flurry of typing and double checking his sources.

His silence must have been enough of an answer for Kanon, because the man rolled his eyes. Kanon walked over and leaned on Schneizel’s chair, Schneizel getting up in recognition of the threat to tip him out of the chair entirely. 

Kanon gave him a long look before gesturing towards the kitchen. “I’m going to cook dinner while you take a shower. Then, we’re going to eat because I doubt you have today.”

Schneizel tried to look resolute, but he was sure that Kanon saw through it. 

The man crossed his arms over his chest, jerking his chin towards the stairs. “Go on. You’re lucky I’m not enforcing a nap. I know you won’t actually take one. I can’t babysit you and the risotto.”

Schneizel heard his stomach rumble at the mention of food, pointedly ignoring the look of triumph that briefly flashed across Kanon’s face. He had expected dirty tactics, Kanon used nothing else when it came to food. And it worked every time.

He started trudging towards the stairs, smiling at the soft hum that Kanon made. It was always easier to go with what Kanon said, it was less of a hassle for the both of them. Working with a nearly useless mayor had turned Kanon into a force of nature, breathtaking to behold but frightening when that concentration was turned his way. Schneizel had learned that it was better to just go with what Kanon told him. The man’s advice was usually good, and the food that Kanon cooked was worth the trouble.

Schneizel paused on the stairs, peeking over the railing. He could see Kanon in the kitchen, the man humming to himself as he unloaded the bags to start cooking. Schneizel was tempted to stand and watch him, but the rumbling in his stomach urged him on. The sooner he got a shower, the sooner he would be able to eat dinner. 

Maybe then, after he felt more human and less strung out, he would be able to finish his work.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt: "“it’s my younger siblings wedding and my mother won’t shut up about how i’m going to die alone”

It was impossible to get the entire Britannia family in one place and expect them to get along. Guilford couldn’t remember a time when some get together had gone by without an argument. The entire family still talked about the great Britannia-Kingsley feud that had started up at Odysseus’ wedding.

Guilford was sure that he was witnessing the start of something that could top the ongoing feud. He had never seen Cornelia’s fake smile go so broad in the nearly ten years that he had known her. It looked more like the smile she would give her sparring opponents before she proceeded to beat them to the ground. The difference was that she was aiming the look at her own mother.

Guilford suddenly wished that he had volunteered to get them drinks instead of letting Andreas go. Looking after Cornelia had seemed like a good idea at the time, but not it felt like he would be watching a murder.

Not that he blamed her for it, even he was starting to wince whenever Lucia Britannia opened her mouth to speak. With the constant tirade that the woman had kept up since she had spotted them, Guilford was amazed that Lucia still had things to stay.

He reached out to touch Cornelia’s shoulder, feeling her jerk before some of the tension leaked out of her. It wasn’t much, but it defused the situation a bit. Guildford was sure that it would be better to get Cornelia away from her mother and let Lucia complain to someone else in the room. 

Guilford had managed to pull her back a step, taking advantage of a longer pause in one of the lectures. For a moment, he felt like they were home free, and then Lucia started on a new topic, and Cornelia froze.

“It’s a perfect wedding, don’t you think? I mean, aside from the groom, but at least Euphemia will be happy. And it’s not like it’s forever. He’s in the military, right? We might get lucky. If not, divorce it always an option. Never judge people for the mistake they make while they’re young. That’s what I say.”

Guilford wasn’t sure if he made the squeak or if Cornelia did. He was still reeling over the things that Lucia had said, trying to rectify his picture of Suzaku as the hardworking officer and what Lucia was saying.

He was jerked out of his contemplation as Cornelia tensed again, barely getting the chance to react to that before Lucia was at it again.

“It’s no surprise that she’s making a choice like this, Euphy had no role model. Really, you should have married first, or at least brought a date along instead of your friends from the military. If you don’t, you’ll be alone for the rest of your life. You’re coming to the end of your prime. You’re lovely Gilbert, but Andreas…” Lucia looked around before leaning close to Cornelia, not bothering to keep her voice down. “I don’t know how you can stand being around that man. I mean, what kind of single man adopts five teenage boys? No normal man, I know that for sure. Are you sure that he’s not a pedo-”

The crash of glass breaking cut Lucia off. 

Guilford glanced over at Cornelia before looking down at the floor. The plate she had been holding was in pieces on the floor. He had never been happier for a distraction.

He gently took Cornelia’s arm, bringing her around the fragments of the plate before gently nudging her in the opposite direction. “Nunnally’s calling for you.”

For a moment, he feared that Cornelia wouldn’t recognize the out, but then her gaze softened. The nod that she gave him was still sharp and she nearly marched away, but Guilford counted it as a victory. He was sure that he had barely avoiding a murder, and Guilford was sure that he would have helped at that point.

Guilford edged around the corona of broken glass, carefully escorting Lucia back. He was surprised when she patted his arm and gave him a sad smile. 

“You’re a wonderful boy. It’s such a shame that you don’t have a nice young lady of your own.”

He muttered his thanks, not sure if he told her anything about getting someone to help with the broken glass before he walked away himself.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw one of the waiters rushing over, Guilford giving the woman a thankful nod before heading over to the bar.

Andreas was still there, talking to the boy behind the bar. Guilford could see two of the three drinks on the counter, picking up his and downing it in one go. He closed his eyes as he felt the alcohol slide down his throat. He let himself linger on the taste before opening his eyes and slumping against the bar.

He looked over at Andreas, the man shaking his head. “I was gone for five minutes.”

“That’s all that she needed. Cornelia broke a plate.”

Andreas whistled and rested his finger on the other drink. “We’re going to need another one of these.”

The boy behind the bar seemed to understand. He nodded and ducked under the bar, Guilford hearing the clatter of bottle.

He leaned against the bar, glancing over as Andreas mimicked him. Andreas jerked his chin, Guilford assuming that he was motioning towards Cornelia. “The plan?”

“Keep her away from her mother at all costs.”

“Simple enough.”

“You don’t know Lucia.”

“I don’t, but that’s what make it a challenge.” Andreas grinned and pushed two of the drinks towards him. He picked up the other two drinks and started pushing away from the bar. “Let’s start this operation.”

Guilford shook his head, but picked up the two other drinks and followed.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More from the Roman AU, now with added smut.

The garden was deserted so late at night, most of the other people in the palace busy. The slaves were finishing up their tasks further inside the structure and hurrying to bed. All of Lelouch’s family was probably in bed, or reclining in one of the dining halls. Knowing Schneizel, he would be tucked away in the study long into the night with only Kanon for company, which was more than fine with Lelouch. It meant that he had the whole of the gardens to himself.

He had grown up in the gardens, Marianne preferring them to the interiors of the palace. Lelouch knew all of the best hiding places, the ones that would shelter him completely and keep him away from watchful eyes for however long he needed to be alone. The one closest to the wall had never failed him. Even better, he could move along the path that the trees and bushes created to the colonnade. From there it would be easy enough to sneak into his bedroom and back to bed. 

He would have been there already, but the heat was too stifling. The wind wasn’t blowing from the river, bringing fresh and wet air to the hills of Rome; it was coming from the city and bringing the smells of Rome with it. That and the lack of rainfall made it nearly impossible to stay inside.

It had an unintended, but welcome side affect. Suzaku had taken to wearing as little clothing as he could get away with, giving Lelouch tanned skin and muscles to stare at whenever he wanted. Of course, he could just ask Suzaku to strip as the emperor’s son, but that was an abuse of his power and he rarely commanded Suzaku to do anything. They had come to a wonderful truce over a year of knowing each other. Lelouch hesitated to call it a friendship because Suzaku was still a slave, but a trusted one.

Most slaves were not to be trusted with the life of one of the emperor’s sons. Kanon was the only one that Lelouch could think of, but Kanon was very close to becoming to a free man. Schneizel was constantly working on their father to emancipate his favorite. Personally, Lelouch thought that Charles was only delaying the day that it happened because it allowed him to keep Schneizel in check.

Lelouch didn’t care much either way, what mattered was that no one would disturb them so far back into the garden and the feeling of Suzaku’s hand in his.

He could tell that Suzaku was nervous, the slave’s hand was sweaty and he kept curling his fingers around Lelouch’s like the motion could protect him. Lelouch was touched by the motion, even if it was involuntary. Suzaku wanted to keep him safe, and that wasn’t just because it was his assigned task. For all his stubbornness and boldness, Suzaku actually cared and that meant the world to Lelouch. It meant the world to him while he was surrounded by family that he half expected to kill him and the common people that were waiting to see when he would start taking out his own family. Suzaku was his place of safety, the one he could take with him when he couldn’t be in the garden.

“ _Dominus_.” Suzaku made a choked sound when Lelouch glared back at him, watching as the slave quickly remembered the rule that Lelouch had recently established. “L-Lelouch, it’s late. You should be retiring for the night.”

Lelouch snorted, shaking his head. Suzaku’s Latin was better, if still stiffly formal. And he was still doing that strange thing with his r’s, nearly turning them into ‘l’s if he wasn’t concentrating. But Lelouch had no intention of correcting that, not when Suzaku’s native accent made Latin sound so interesting. “It’s too hot. I might just stay out here.”

“Lelouch-”

“I’ve done it before, the others have too. The older slaves know to look for us here when the heat just won’t break. Besides, I trust you to wake me up if I sleep in.” He had nothing scheduled for the day, but Lelouch liked to watch his father preside over cases that were brought before him. It was better than listening to some of his tutors as they tried to teach him the last of what they deemed necessary before the generals took him to practice.

Lelouch loathed his sword practice, except when he was allowed to bring Suzaku. Watching the slave go through the motions was intriguing, Suzaku catching himself on half remembered forms that had no place in the Roman army. They were things from a land that Suzaku would probably never see again, something that Lelouch couldn’t decide if he liked or not.

He squeezed Suzaku’s hand, tugging the slave the last few feet into the bastion of bushes and trees. As soon as they were concealed from sight Lelouch relaxed. He didn’t have to be on his guard here, not in one of the few safe places left to him. In any case, Suzaku was with him, which made all of the difference in the world.

He turned around, yelping when he saw that Suzaku was far closer than he expected. Lelouch took a quick step back, Suzaku following. The slave’s hand went up to cup the back of Lelouch’s head, holding there as Lelouch nearly stumbled back into the wall. He caught himself by slapping his palms against the wall, still breathing quickly from his scare.

Suzaku was close now, too close but Lelouch couldn’t bring himself to complain. A year had done wonders for the skinny boy that Lelouch had seen in the arena. He had some bulk to him, from better food and following Lelouch around during his training, but it was still the same whipcord strength. Suzaku could easily snap his neck and run back to wherever he had come from, but he didn’t. Instead he did things like protect the back of Lelouch’s head against a fall. It was significant and telling, although Lelouch couldn’t figure out what it meant because Suzaku was so close and his mind was taking different tracks. He was tracing the outline of the muscles that he could see and wondering how they would feel against his hand. How they would feel against his skin.

“Lelouch?” He jerked his gaze back up to Suzaku’s face, noticing the worried look. “Are you alright?”

“Yes.”

“You should be more careful.” The corner of Suzaku’s mouth twitched up, the precursor to one of his playful smiles. “I won’t be around all the time to catch you.”

Lelouch reached out to grab Suzaku’s arm as he pulled away. “Why not?”

“What?”

“Why won’t you be there?” Suzaku looked panicked now, but Lelouch couldn’t stop himself. This was an important matter. “Why wouldn’t you be by my side?”

“There are some places that I can’t go.”

“Then I don’t want to be there. I want you by my side, because I can trust you. I trust you far more than half of the people in this palace.” Suzaku was beginning to stutter out something, fumbling through Latin and his native language as he tried to speak over Lelouch, but Lelouch wouldn’t have it. He tugged on Suzaku’s arm, slightly surprised when Suzaku moved closer. He took advantage of the move, staring right into Suzaku’s eyes. “Your place is by my side, nowhere else.”

Suzaku stared at him for a moment, Lelouch expecting him to look away. He expected Suzaku to try and put distance between the two of them to think over what Lelouch had just said. It shouldn’t have been news to Suzaku, but hearing Lelouch admit it must have been another thing entirely.

But Suzaku didn’t act like Lelouch expected. He flinched back, Lelouch about to let go of Suzaku when the slave muttered a low curse. Or that’s what Lelouch assumed it was, he couldn’t understand the word and he didn’t get the chance to ask what Suzaku had said. The slave was crowding him back against the wall, one hand in his hair and the other on his hip. Lelouch only had a moment to recognize the points of contact before Suzaku kissed him.

His thoughts stuttered to a stop, his eyes going wide as he stared at Suzaku. The kiss was just the press of their lips together, but Lelouch was having difficulty processing beyond the action. It was something that Suzaku didn’t have to do; Lelouch would never order him to do something like this. This was Suzaku’s own choice.

Lelouch saw Suzaku’s brow furrow a moment before he pulled away. It was on the tip of his tongue to call Suzaku back, but the slave was already stepping away.

“Forgive me but…” Suzaku laughed. “You just can’t say things like that Lelouch.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’ll make me believe you.”

“It’s true.” Lelouch reached down to run his fingers over the hand on his hip. He watched as Suzaku looked down, like he had forgotten that he was still holding onto him. Lelouch pressed down on the hand when Suzaku went to move it. “I mean it. I trust you that much; with my life.”

Suzaku shivered, but he didn’t look away. To Lelouch’s relief, he stepped closer. Suzaku slid his hand up Lelouch’s side, his fingers pausing on the belt of Lelouch’s tunic before continuing up his torso. Lelouch tipped his head back against the wall, his eyes fluttering shut as Suzaku’s hand moved over his chest and onto his neck. He only opened them when Suzaku stopped, cupping his cheek with the same gentleness that he had cupped the back of his head.

Lelouch turned his head, brushing his lips against Suzaku’s palm. “Is this what you want?”

“Yeah. For a while now.”

Lelouch might have muttered his thanks to the gods, but he was sure that they never heard it. Suzaku swallowed his words by kissing him again.

Lelouch nearly froze again, but the careful brush of Suzaku’s thumb over his cheekbone coaxed him out. He reached out to pull Suzaku close, pushing one hand into the slave’s hair. He heard Suzaku make an amused noise, about to pull back to tell Suzaku not to laugh at him. Instead, he shivered when Suzaku opened his mouth, sucking Lelouch’s lip into his mouth. A little nip before Suzaku released his lip had Lelouch arching up against Suzaku.

He used the hand in Suzaku’s hair to drag the boy’s mouth back to his, this time opening up to Suzaku. Lelouch whimpered into Suzaku’s mouth, only loosening his grip on Suzaku’s hair when he felt Suzaku’s tongue flick against his. Suzaku wasn’t moving away, which was a good thing. In fact, he was crowding closer which was even better. Suzaku always needed to be this close.

Lelouch gasped as he felt a hand against his thigh, distantly wondering when Suzaku had moved. The time didn’t matter, not when Suzaku was pushing underneath his tunic.

He pulled away from the kiss with a gasp, dropping his arm around Suzaku’s shoulders. “Suzaku…”

“Yes?”

Lelouch’s mind was a bit fuzzy, but he was holding onto enough of his coherency to plan ahead. No one would be coming for them, especially where they were tucked against the wall. And he wanted more.

“Strip.”

He saw one of Suzaku’s eyebrows twitch. “Is that an order?”

“One that I’ll be following.”

Suzaku groaned, tipping forward to rest his head against Lelouch’s neck. His hand slipped out from underneath Lelouch’s tunic, where it had been rubbing circles on his thigh. Lelouch couldn’t help the jerk that his body gave to follow the hand, tipping his head back against the wall.

He fumbled with his free hand to find the belt that held his tunic in place. He didn’t want to pull away from Suzaku, not when it felt so comfortable to be cradled between Suzaku and the wall. But he wanted more, needed more.

The belt finally came undone, Lelouch not paying attention as it dropped to the ground. He was too busy moaning as he felt Suzaku’s hand drag up his leg, catching against the end of his tunic and pulling it up his body. His hips jerked forward at the brush of Suzaku’s hand against his bare skin, listening to the soothing noises that Suzaku made against his neck.

“Let go, Lelouch. Help me out here.”

Lelouch was sure that he nodded, because Suzaku was slipping away from him, pulling the tunic completely over his head. Lelouch shivered a bit as his bare skin was exposed, but he didn’t linger over the feeling for too long. Suzaku was still wearing his tunic, and it had to go.

He stepped forward, his fingers tangling with Suzaku’s as they both worked to pull the belt off. It was tossed off in the direction of the bushes, Lelouch already pushing his hand under Suzaku’s tunic even as the slave pulled the wool cloth over his head.

As soon as it was off, Lelouch plucked it from Suzaku grip, tossing it somewhere to his right. His attention was on pulling Suzaku back against him. His back knocked against the wall, Lelouch wincing slightly at the rough surface against his skin, but he didn’t pay much attention to it, not when Suzaku was gloriously naked and sliding a thigh between his own.

Suzaku was staring down at his cock, drawing a tender finger up the vein before he leaned forward to kiss Lelouch again. Lelouch gasped and jerked up into Suzaku’s grip as the slave curled his fingers around Lelouch’s cock. “Suzaku.”

“Like this?” Suzaku’s voice was breathless, almost as enchanting as the slow strokes that he was giving Lelouch. He kissed his way across Lelouch’s cheek, pausing to nip at Lelouch’s earlobe. The next words he spoke were whispered right into Lelouch’s ear. “What do you want Lelouch?”

He didn’t know where the strength came from, but Lelouch pushed against Suzaku. He intended just to give him room to think, something that he couldn’t do with Suzaku pressed up against him, but he managed to take Suzaku by surprise.

They both tumbled to the ground, Suzaku reaching out to cradle him close. Lelouch sighed against Suzaku’s chest, enjoying the feeling of being held close. He shifted so he could rest his palm against the beat of Suzaku’s heart, frowning when it was fast. He looked up at Suzaku, sighing at the look of fear on Suzaku’s face.

“I’m fine. Don’t worry.” He hesitated before pulling himself up Suzaku’s body, watching as the slave shivered under him. Lelouch wasn’t sure which version of Suzaku he liked better, the one who would push him against a wall or the one who would just lie under him. It was a decision that he would have to think carefully on, and definitely something for later.

He rested his forehead against Suzaku’s. “And I want you like this, right up against me. It’s where you belong.”

Suzaku answered with a feral grin, Lelouch trying his best to return it. But it was hard when Suzaku was wrapping an arm around him, pushing Lelouch against him.

Lelouch tentatively rocked his hips against Suzaku, gasping at the delicious friction. He wasn’t sure if it was better with only Suzaku’s hand or with Suzaku’s dick against his, but it didn’t matter. As long as it was Suzaku, he was more than satisfied.

He grabbed onto Suzaku’s shoulder, trying to use the position for leverage to grind down onto Suzaku. It was hard when Suzaku was being more than helpful, rocking his hips up into Lelouch as he pressed Lelouch close. Lelouch dropped his head, letting Suzaku kiss what he could reach as they rutted against each other.

It wasn’t the graceful positions that were painted on the walls of the palace, it was the two of them sweaty and desperate to get closer to each other. It was Suzaku holding him maybe a bit too tightly, but Lelouch was sure that he was doing the same. It was Suzaku gasping against his neck, bumping his nose against it in lieu of something else, something that Lelouch desperately wanted.

He shifted so Suzaku would have better access. “Do it.”

“They’ll see.”

“Where they can’t.” He barely finished his sentence when Suzaku was kissing his shoulder. It wasn’t exactly where he wanted, but it was close enough, especially when Suzaku began to bite and suck at his chosen spot.

Lelouch moaned, his hips bucking against Suzaku’s. A simple bite shouldn’t have gotten him so close, but it had. Everything was too much, Suzaku’s lips against his shoulder, the muscles he could feel as he moved on top of Suzaku and the push of Suzaku’s cock alongside his. Lelouch was sure that he muttered a curse, reaching between the two of them to wrap his hand around the both of them.

At the first touch, Suzaku nearly slammed his head back against the ground as he arched up into the touch. “Lelouch.”

“I need to.”

“Yeah.” Suzaku’s hand tightened where it had found Lelouch’s hip again. “Do it.”

The words were the only bit of encouragement that he needed, Lelouch ducking his head and stroking the both of them. He closed his eyes, just listening to the breathy sounds that Suzaku was making, interspersed with his own grunts and moans when he forgot to keep quiet so he could hear Suzaku. His grip faltered in the mess of pre-come between them, twisting slightly. The motion was enough to make Suzaku break his near silence.

He was babbling now, Lelouch not sure if it was in Latin or his native tongue. He was too far gone as well. Lelouch was sure that he was just muttering Suzaku’s name into his neck, pushing up into his own hand. Another accidental twist of his hand had him gasping and coming into his hand.

He slowed his strokes, surprised when Suzaku let go of him to work a hand between them. Lelouch felt Suzaku close a hand over his own, guiding him through a few more strokes before Suzaku was coming as well. Lelouch lifted his head to watch Suzaku moan in pleasure, his eyes sliding shut before he slumped against the ground.

Lelouch gave a content laugh, carefully rolling himself off to the side. He was sweatier now than before, and he couldn’t really bring himself to care. It was just like the mess he could feel drying on his stomach and hand. He just wanted to lie in the garden and breathe until he came back to himself.

He glanced to the side, finding that Suzaku was looking back at him. He hesitated a moment before reaching out with his clean hand. There was space for words and Lelouch hated that he couldn’t find them. Words were the one thing he could depend upon, the thing that he counted on with all his other siblings around him.

Thankfully, Suzaku seemed to understand. He took Lelouch’s hand, tugging slightly so the two of them would roll closer. Lelouch sighed and settled his head on Suzaku’s shoulder, a bit amused by the sting of the bite on his shoulder. Suzaku was his, no one would contest that with the way that Suzaku followed him around. But this was an equal return in a way, because Lelouch would only let his guard down enough with one person. It was the closest he could get to equality between them.

Lelouch felt Suzaku settle their hands over his heart, closing his eyes as the felt the rhythm slowing down to a more normal place. The night was hot enough that he didn’t feel the loss of his tunic too badly, but they would have to return to his room eventually. He didn’t want to be found like this, not when this was something that was not going to be shared with the rest of the empire. It would make him vulnerable and Suzaku a target.

“Lelouch?” He hummed to show that he was listening. “Did you mean what you said?”

“Yes.” He sighed, squeezing Suzaku’s fingers. “There’s no one else that I trust this much, and I need allies.”

“Friends?”

“That too.”

“Then what does that make me?”

‘Mine’ was on the tip of Lelouch’s tongue when he realized that the answer wouldn’t mean anything. Suzaku was a slave, a captive dragged from somewhere in the east to Rome. He had asked his father for a boy he had seen in the arena and had received a slave. There was no question that Suzaku was his. The papers were drawn up somewhere, on the off chance that Lelouch wanted to set Suzaku free. But Suzaku was his, which rendered the claim useless.

He opened his eyes, staring at the sky above him. The stars were no help, just shining above him. Lelouch sighed, letting his head roll to the side so he could meet Suzaku’s gaze. Suzaku was still waiting for his answer, and he would probably wait until Lelouch came up with one. Lelouch smiled and untangled their hands so he could reach up and brush the back of his fingers over Suzaku’s cheek. “Singular.”

Suzaku caught Lelouch’s fingers, using the hold to flip Lelouch’s palm up. He pressed a kiss to the center, never looking away from Lelouch. “ _Dominus_.”

Before Lelouch could protest the title being used while they were alone, Suzaku rolled on top of him. He shifted so he was holding hands with Suzaku again, feeling his cock twitch again as Suzaku settled over him. Suzaku chuckled, leaning down until he was hovering over Lelouch’s lips. “Lelouch.”

He ran out of patience, Lelouch surging up to kiss Suzaku again. He felt Suzaku smile against his mouth just before he managed to pull Suzaku down on top of him.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous requested: "Schneizel/Kanon, We’re both teachers and at the end of the year we compare how many gifts we’ve received from students and you’ve won for the past three years’ AU"

Kanon smiled when he heard someone shuffle into the classroom. He didn’t bother to turn around from where he was scrubbing the chalkboard, making sure that it was completely clean before he left. It was one of the final tasks he did before leaving the school for the summer. The steady motion of it relaxed him after having to deal with students who were more eager to rush out of the school than stay for the few hours that they were made to attend. It was him wiping away the last traces of the year and preparing himself for the new one.

He bent over to drop the sponge into the bucket, looking over the even streaks of water that were drying. Kanon reached for the towel that he had tossed on the ledge, quickly drying his hands off.

He smiled when he saw Schneizel leaning against one of the tables that Kanon had left out. All the others had been folded up and pushed to the edges of the room. The custodial staff would be in to clean up the floor and move the tables to whatever classroom would need them for summer classes.

Kanon walked around his desk, going to lean against the same table as Schneizel. He carefully cocked his hip against the far side of the table, keeping a bit of distance between them. They were still at work, which meant that they had to be professional. All other celebrations could wait until they were back at their house and away from the rest of the staff.

Schneizel rocked slightly, edging into his space before retreating again. Kanon found himself following the motion, stopping when Schneizel slid a paper across the table towards him. Kanon glanced up in time to see the smirk slide across Schneizel’s face. He huffed and picked up the paper, raising an eyebrow at the list.

Schneizel’s handwriting was crisp, clear, and almost mocking. The list was carefully numbered, Kanon shaking his head when he saw some of the underlined entries. Those would be the only gloating that Schneizel would do, because he knew he didn’t have to gloat.

They had been doing this contest for three years now, and Schneizel had won every time. There was no need to gloat if he was sure of his victory. 

Kanon took his time looking over the list, raising his eyebrows when he came across ten separate entries for gift cards at the local coffee shop. He sighed, imagining the trips into town that would take twice as long as Schneizel made pit stops to his favorite store. At least that meant that he wouldn’t have to wait for his own coffee to brew after Schneizel had made his strong batch.

He lowered it back down, taking in the smirk that Schneizel had kept on his face. “Forty-five?”

“Yes. And I’ve already packed them in the car.” Schneizel glanced around the room, obviously looking for the end of the year gifts that Kanon had been given. He was probably going to offer to help carry the gifts to the car while surreptitiously counting them out. 

Kanon smiled and handed the paper back to Schneizel. He had already seen the stack carefully packed into the backseat of their car, but he hadn’t counted. There had been too much to do and three more loads to carry out and arrange in the trunk. Boxes of books was just one of the perks of being an English teacher, something that Schneizel didn’t have to worry about as the government teacher.

He reached into his pocket, slapping a sticky note on the table.

Kanon kept his gaze neutral as Schneizel picked up the sticky note, watching the brief flickers of expression cross his face. Schneizel probably thought that he had less considering the size of the sticky note, even if it was one of the supersized ones. 

The moment of triumph was quickly gone as Schneizel had to lean forward to read Kanon’s small handwriting. Schneizel’s mouth moved as he read over the list, his brow furrowing as he got closer to the bottom.

Kanon could tell the exact moment that Schneizel reached the last number, his head jerking slightly as he ready the last entry over. “Forty-six?”

“Yes.”

Schneizel looked back at the sticky note. “I think you miscounted. You say that it’s from Lelouch.”

“Yes.”

“He’s not a student of yours.”

“He _was_  and there’s no rule against it.” Kanon grinned as he watched Schneizel open his mouth only to snap it shut again. He could almost hear the gears in Schneizel’s head turning. Kanon just shrugged and turned to gather the last of his things, letting Schneizel work over the problem.

He gathered the last of his books together, turning around as Schneizel stood up.

His husband held out the list to him, Kanon smiling at the vague look of frustration on Schneizel’s face. It was true that they had never made up any real kind of rules for this little contest, but Kanon was sure that there would be rules come next year. He didn’t care, he had managed to get one up on Schneizel this time. He could think of something else by the time the end of the next school year came.

Kanon took the sticky note From Schneizel, attaching it to the cover of one of the books and smoothing it down. “I’m feeling like Indian tonight. We should get home and clean up.”

He walked out of the classroom, leaving Schneizel to stew over his loss. It wouldn’t last for long, there were other, more important things for Schneizel to start thinking over. Kanon wouldn’t be surprised if Schneizel started to try and hammering out a new set of rules on their way home.

He rolled his eyes, pausing in the doorway to look over his shoulder. “Let’s try not to kill my plant this time.”

Schneizel gave him a put upon look before striding forward to meet him. He reached out like he was going to slide an arm around Kanon’s waist but he caught himself at the last minute. Instead, Schneizel dragged his fingers along Kanon’s side before stepping away.

“That wasn’t my fault.”

Kanon huffed, trailing after Schneizel as they made their way through the school and to the car. He didn’t care in the end, they two of them were going out for their end of the year date night and he had managed to win their contest. It was a good beginning to the summer, one that Kanon hoped would carry through until the start of the next school year.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Danny Phantom AU, simply because nostalgia punched me in the face

Lelouch rifled through the papers that had been left out for him, resisting the urge to throw them out of the window in disgust. He had known that Britannia was involved in dubious experiments, he had been keeping track in the dim hopes that he could find something to use for his revenge. Now he had the evidence that he needed to bring the higher echelons crumbling down, but there were two problems.

If he spoke up about what he had been put in charge of then Clovis wouldn’t hesitate to spill their secret. He wasn’t ready to have him and Nunnally brought back into the public eye, not with so much unrest in Japan. Britannians would rush to use one of them to further Britannian plans, or the Japanese rebels taking them prisoner to force the Britannians listen to their demands. Lelouch didn’t want to risk Nunnally in that kind of situation, not for anything.

The other problem was that Lelouch wasn’t sure if anyone would believe him. He could blackmail the nobles involved, but the fear of blackmail only worked if the claim was believable. Indulging Emperor Charles’ quest to find the soul of the late consort Marianne was something that the nobles did almost halfheartedly. No one would believe that anyone had actually listened to his orders and started to pull ghosts from wherever they rested in peace.

If they wouldn’t believe that, they they certainly wouldn’t believe that they had managed to create some strange hybrid.

Lelouch sighed and set the papers back down. He glanced at the one on top, grimacing at the papers that were on the top.

The nobles weren’t the only ones to blame, he had helped them create their monster. There was no way to get around that fact. He had brought the last component that Clovis and his team had needed, and he had agreed to every part of it. He could protest that he had been in a panic, sure that his best friend was dying. Making all of those promises to save him had come to nothing.

Suzaku had still ended up dead.

Lelouch slumped into the chair, closing his eyes. This was his punishment then, keeping his father’s secrets for the sake of his own.

A chill swept through the room, the coldness sending a shiver up his spine. Lelouch lifted his head, his gaze flicking towards the door.

The cold intensified until Lelouch felt the breath catch his throat. Then just as quickly as it had come it was gone, the warmth flooding into the room just before the door slid open.

Suzaku peeking his head around the door, hesitating on the outside as he peered into the room. “Lelouch?”

“Come in.” Lelouch didn’t bother to watch for a nod, quickly putting the papers back into a neat pile. He didn’t want Suzaku to see them, not that it really mattered. Still, the depth of the mess that Lelouch had gotten him into was something that Lelouch didn’t want Suzaku to know. 

He heard the floorboards squeak as Suzaku made his way over, sure that Suzaku was trying to just make his presence known, almost like he was afraid that he would turn invisible. That hadn’t happened for weeks now, but Suzaku was still careful. It was something that made Lelouch want to growl and tug Suzaku close, but he was afraid to. No matter how he interacted with Suzaku now, his fingers always went down to Suzaku’s wrist to check on the slowed down pulse, just to make sure that Suzaku hadn’t completely left him yet.

Suzaku shifted in front of his desk, Lelouch messing around with papers before finally looking up. He met Suzaku’s gaze, barely holding himself from wincing away from the steady green gaze. Some part of him always expected it to be brown like they had been when they had first met. 

Lelouch cleared his throat, resting his hands on the desk. “Anything interesting tonight?”

“Nothing to report.”

Lelouch shook his head at the stiff pose that Suzaku held himself in. He wasn’t military anymore. Officially, he was dead to them, not that they cared. Suzaku was completely in the hands of the government, not that it was much better.

He stood up, coming around the desk. He didn’t want the two of them to fall into the roles that Clovis wanted for him, he still didn’t want to lose his friend.

Lelouch leaned his hip on the desk, seeing Suzaku lean towards the desk before quickly jerking himself away. Lelouch sighed and reached out for Suzaku, only to stop his hand halfway between them. It hovered there for a moment before letting it fall back to his side.

He curled his fingers into fists, taking a deep breath before meeting Suzaku’s gaze again. “What about the girl?”

Suzaku shrugged, his rigid posture easing. “I haven’t found her yet. But I think she’s out there. I remember…” Suzaku shook his head and offered him a sheepish smile. “I’ll keep looking.”

“No. I’m calling it a night. There’s no reason for you to go back there.”

“But Clovis-”

“My brother put me in charge, so he’ll have to work with the results that I give him.” Lelouch looked over his shoulder at the documents, frowning at them.

He was tired of being tied to them, and tired of expecting another experiment to be shoved at him. Lelouch could just imagine a Japanese child being shoved at him, another person whose eyes were permanently green.

He swept them up into his arms, glancing at the number that had been assigned to Suzaku and feeling the burn of anger. Lelouch wasn’t sure he would be able to burn the papers, not when they could be valuable. But he wasn’t going to let his brother dangle promises in front of him, not at the price that Lelouch was paying.

Lelouch turned on his heel, heading toward the door only to be called back by the soft sound of Suzaku’s voice. “Lelouch?”

“We’re moving operations to Ashford. I don’t want to risk getting spotted around here and I doubt that they’ve given you a proper bed.” From the look that Suzaku gave him, he was right. Lelouch shifted the papers in his arms and offered Suzaku his hand, trying to hold it as steady as he could. “As head of operations, I could make it an order.”

He wasn’t sure if the steadiness of an order or if Suzaku was really tired of what he had been given at the administrative building.

Suzaku took a step forward, grabbing for Lelouch’s hand only to have his own phase through.

Lelouch saw Suzaku blush, sure that his friend was going to pull away and hover back until they got back to Ashford. He wanted to bridge the gap, but he wasn’t sure how, not when Suzaku’s hand was tantalizingly close but impossible to catch.

As a compromise, he brushed his shoulder against Suzaku’s. He expected Suzaku to slip away, but Suzaku kept close. It wasn’t the warmth that Lelouch remembered, it was cooler than he expected. He tensed to keep from shivering, not wanting to drive Suzaku away. Living with what had happened to his friend was something that he would have to learn. It was his penance for not stopping what the team had done to Suzaku before it was too late.

Besides, he wanted Suzaku back with him and Nunnally, back where he could be safe from people who were using him. It was a repayment for that month during the summer when Suzaku had protected the two of them from the roaming Britannian troops that wouldn’t have thought twice about shooting the three of them.

He stepped out of the room, expecting to see Suzaku keeping a step back. Instead, Suzaku was even with him, Lelouch just barely catching the determined look on Suzaku’s face just before Suzaku grabbed his hand.

Their hands slid together, Lelouch expecting Suzaku’s hand to slide through his like it had every other time.

Instead, Suzaku anchored his fingers between Lelouch’s, holding steady.

Lelouch looked up in time to see a brilliant smile cross Suzaku’s face. He felt some of the tightness he had been carrying around in his chest ease at the expression.

 _There_ was the friend he’d been mourning and missing. 

 _There_ was his Suzaku.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You’ve been sleeping at mine because your house is being renovated and we aren’t even dating, yet every time you wake up to the baby crying and sigh, “i’ll go” i feel like we might as well be married (based on [this single parent AU](http://eachainn.tumblr.com/post/93827948784/46-or-50-or-both-suzalulu-please)).

Lelouch jolted awake at the sound of crying from the other room. He stared at the ceiling, his heart pounding as he tried to center himself again.

He was in his room, he was fine. There was no reason to panic because he and Alexandra was safe. There were guards outside the door both inside and out in the garden. He would have heard something if someone had tried to sneak in and murder the prince and his daughter, not that Lelouch would know why. He was still trying to figure out why anyone would want to kill the estranged wife of the eleventh prince.

Lelouch took a deep breath, running a hand over his face as he tried to wake himself up completely. If there wasn’t an intruder, then it was just something normal, whatever that meant. Even after months of trying to take care of Alexandra by himself he still couldn’t quite guess what she wanted every time. It made Lelouch desperate for a manual.

He let his hand drop back to the pillow, taking a deep breath before heaving himself out of bed.

He grabbed his robe, tying it around himself as he walked to the door. Lelouch yawned as he pulled open the door, wincing as Alexandra’s cries got louder. He was sure that, at any moment, one of his guards would walk in and start a search through his rooms, something that he didn’t want to deal with.

The door slid open, Lelouch jerking to a stop when he saw C.C. ghost past. The woman barely paused to look at him, raising her hand and giving him a shooing motion. “I’ve got it.”

“But-” He didn’t get the chance to finish his question before she was slipping into Alexandra’s room. Lelouch frowned as the door remained open, swaying in place before making up his mind and following after her.

Lelouch stepped into Alexandra’s room, surprised to see C.C. straightening up and holding the baby.

He raised his eyebrows, surprised that she had bothered. Lelouch had thought that C.C. hadn’t been interested in Alexandra. She had always seemed to drift away from the baby whenever she had been around. Then again, that had been when her mother had been alive.

C.C. didn’t seem to see him, she was focused on gently rocking Alexandra in her arms as she swayed in place. Lelouch caught snippets of words, taking a while to realize that C.C. was singing to the baby, but it was nothing that he recognized. He couldn’t even remember if Marianne had sung to him.

He remembered his own mother being distant, but that was only because she had been busy with Nunnally. He had plenty of memories of the three of them, but nothing of just him and his mother. Lelouch couldn’t even remember what Marianne had done to calm Nunnally. Maybe that was why he was so awkward with his own daughter.

Lelouch sighed and sank into one of the chairs in the room, glancing up when he realized that he had given himself away. 

C.C. turned to looked at him, Alexandra still cradled in her arms. In the dim light of the nightlight he could see her eyebrow raised. “Shouldn’t you be asleep? The ambassadors from the Euro-Britannia are coming.”

Lelouch shook his head, leaning over so his hands dangled between his legs. “Schneizel is taking care of all of that.”

“Ah.” She smiled, probably expecting him to react, but Lelouch was too tired to care.

The smile only lasted a while longer before C.C. shook her head, starting to pace the room. “You need help.”

“I can handle this.”

“Try again. Maybe you’ll convince me then.”

Lelouch looked up, attempting a glare at C.C, but the expression faltered when he saw his reflection of one of the mirrors. He looked dead on his feet, ready to keel over at any moment. It was nothing like the image of a royal prince he was trying to put forward. In the light Lelouch was sure that he looked more like a walking corpse than a human.

He looked away, staring at the wicker basket tangled with ribbon. He could see the arm of one of Alexandra’s stuffed rabbits, Lelouch resisting the urge to peek into Alexandra’s crib. He had put her favorite stuffed horse in the crib with her before she had gone to bed, he had figured out that much.

“I thought so.” C.C. paced her way around the room, Alexandra’s cries softening to whimpers, but they still weren’t gone. C.C. didn’t seem to be too worried. She just continued pacing. “You’re doing her no good if you kill yourself.”

“I’m fine.”

C.C. scoffed, interrupted before she could say anything else by a soft knock on the wall. 

The sound started Alexandra up again, C.C. pausing to bounce her a moment before walking over to the door.

From his position in the chair Lelouch couldn’t see who was at the door, but he did see an arm in the royal guard uniform that his mother had designed. Lelouch frowned at the grey sleeve, reminding himself to change the uniform before the thought slipped away again.

He saw the guard hand over a bottle, watching as C.C. shifted Alexandra into position. The guard lingered just long enough to watch Alexandra start drinking before the guard walked away. Lelouch raised an eyebrow and looked back at C.C. “My guards are in on this too?”

“They don’t want to listen to her wailing either.”

It took Lelouch a moment longer than it should to unpack what C.C. really meant. He tipped his head to acknowledge what she meant, watching her for a moment before shifting to sit in the chair. “Give her over.”

“I’ve got this.” Her expression softened for a moment. “Go back to sleep.”

Some part of Lelouch wanted to argue, but the dragging exhaustion prevented that. He was getting one night off and he would be stupid to continue to resist. 

He stood up, walking over to where C.C. was holding the baby. He paused to brush his fingers over Alexandra’s clenched fist before walking out of the room.

Lelouch paused just outside of the room, not surprised when C.C. started to whisper to Alexandra again. It didn’t take long for her to start singing loud enough for Lelouch to hear what sounded like a very old lullaby in another language. He tried to figure out what exactly C.C. was singing to his daughter, but he was too tired to really catch the words.

He shook his head, reaching out to steady himself against the wall. Lelouch took a deep breath before starting down to his room, his mind already drifting close to sleep on the melody of C.C’s lullaby.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the request: "Okay, I know this sounds a bit cracky, but after I recently learned that Lelouch is a sagittarius, I suddenly craved for a centaurlulu fic so bad."
> 
> This is what I see [Lelouch’s horse half as](https://horsesoftheworld.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/friesian-horse-in-galop-michael-mogensen.jpg), while [Suzaku looks something like this](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/Ko%C5%84_mongolski_w_Parku_Narodowym_Gorchi-Tereld%C5%BC_10.JPG) and [C.C. is this beautiful horse right here](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Mangalarga_Marchador.jpg) because I refuse to have her have a green horse half.

Lelouch had known that the road from Kamine Island back to Pendragon would be a long one, especially when they had to take the circuitous route. He had calculated for the boats and how long they would take, but not the actual walk, especially when he wouldn’t let the three of them take a train for fear of being discovered before his bid for the throne was finished. Walking through the fractured Chinese Federation had been no problem, even if they had spent most of their time travelling at night to avoid the clashes between rebels and the remains of the Federation government that was still going on. 

It was the walk from San Francisco to Pendragon that Lelouch was sure would be the death of him.

Lelouch stopped, leaning over to pant for breath. He glanced up ahead where C.C. and Suzaku were carefully picking their way through the rocky mountain trails. C.C. had no trouble and Suzaku seemed to be blazing his way up the trail. Lelouch was sure his friend could gallop the whole day and arrive at their next campsite without breaking a sweat.

Sweating was all he seemed to do, his black hide covered in white lather. Lelouch looked back, swishing his tail over his flanks as he watched his sides heave. What he wanted more than anything was to take a break and stop long enough to wash the sweat off. He had no doubt that they would stop by a stream to camp, but by then the sweat would have dried and his whole body would itch.

He stared at the two continuing up the trail without him before sighing and starting after them, carefully placing his hooves down.

It didn’t matter if he asked the question or not because he knew the answer. Suzaku would just snap at him to keep moving because they hadn’t made their thirty miles that day. If they wanted to beat Schneizel and anyone else to the throne before they realized that the emperor was well and truly dead then they had to get to Pendragon quickly. 

It was Lelouch’s own plan, just like it was Lelouch’s plan to stay away from the major cities and big roads. He didn’t want he or Suzaku to be recognized, although he doubted that anyone would recognize the eleventh prince of Britannia or the famous Knight of Seven now.

Lelouch was wearing a ragged shirt that had started out red but had faded to a light pink when it was clean. There were spots of the original colors every once and a while between the stains, but it wasn’t enough to have Lelouch running to the nearest town to spend what little cash they had, not when they needed to reserve it for the rare times that Suzaku couldn’t catch them something to eat.

Suzaku wasn’t much better. He had taken to only wearing a shirt when the sun started to set or when they got high enough into the mountains that he started shivering. As it was, he looked like one of those wild, uncivilized centaurs that had spooked ladies back when Britannia was first starting to spread out into the world.

C.C. was the only one out of the three of them to look put together, and Lelouch didn’t know how she did it. She just walked calmly behind Suzaku, her supplies and her precious Cheese-kun tied onto her back. There were a few stains on her grey coat, mostly splotches of grass and dirt stains around her knees and hocks, but she was the only one of them who looked like she had gone out on a stroll.

Lelouch gritted his teeth and reached up to use the rock face to help him keep his balance as he continued to climb. It was only fifteen days. Fifteen more days left to go out of the twenty-five that Suzaku had first estimated.

Fifteen days until he could soak himself in a warm bath and sleep comfortably bedded down instead of what little comfort he could get on the ground. Fifteen days until he could burn the shirt he was wearing and get back into clothes that he was used to. 

Lelouch looked up, groaning when he saw Suzaku and C.C. disappear over a rise in the trail.

No matter how many times he reminded himself fifteen days still sounded like an eternity


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous requested: "AU. Lelouch would usually just drop off and pick up Nunnally at a self defense class but there's a new teacher."

When Nunnally had asked to take self defense classes, Lelouch’s mind had quickly gone to two things. One, that she was spending too much time with her cousin Cornelia and two, that it was going to be hard, maybe harder than his blind sister could handle. The latter notion had been pushed out of his head after watching three sessions.

Tohdoh had sized Nunnally up on the first day before handing her off to Kallen. The two of them had gone off to a quiet part of the _dojo_  and worked through the basic forms; Lelouch watching as Kallen carefully guided Nunnally into position several times before letting her go on her own. They had come back to Tohdoh at the end of the lesson and the man had watched Nunnally go through what she had learned. Lelouch had been amazed at the man’s gentle corrections before he had bowed to her and dismissed her from class. It was nothing like Lelouch had predicted, and there was no defense against Nunnally’s smile as she had come bounding up to him.

He had watched two more just to be comfortable before Nunnally herself had said that she felt safe enough. So the two of them developed a routine.

As soon as Nunnally got home from school she would devour the snack that Lelouch had waiting for her before changing into her uniform and practically herding Lelouch out to the car. He would drive her to Tohdoh’s _dojo_  and then take himself over to the library that was just down the block. While Nunnally learned how to break a man with a careful placement of her foot, Lelouch worked on whatever land development project he was involved in, researching deeds and old historical buildings to see if they could be saved. 

After three weeks, Lelouch learned that the lessons were an hour and a half more often than not, because Tohdoh took extra time to work alone with Nunnally, making sure that she understood everything that was going on. Lelouch was amazed by her progress by her first tournament, a small affair at the _dojo_  that was more a chance for the children to show off for their parents than anything else. Lelouch had framed the picture that he had taken of Nunnally standing primly by the board that she had just broken. The action shot of her actually breaking the board had been sent to Cornelia where it hung proudly along with Cornelia’s series of medals.

Two classes once a week soon became three classes a week, only because Tohdoh opened up a tai chi class taught by Chiba that Nunnally dragged him to. That was the one time that Lelouch stayed in the _dojo_  with her since she had started, and only because it did wonders for his stress.

For two years they were happy with their routine. It was broken without either of them knowing when Lelouch went to pick Nunnally up and found her grinning and panting for breath.

“Tohdoh- _sensei_  let us have an alternate day, and he brought in one of his former students to let us try out kendo.”

Lelouch looked across the mats, a little worried that his sister had been playing with swords. Miraculously, she seemed to be the only one that wasn’t limping around.

His scrutiny must have been noticed because a man turned to look at him, Lelouch having only a moment to register his stunning green eyes before the man was jogging across the room to them.

The man patted Nunnally on the shoulder before nodding at Lelouch. “I’m Suzaku Kururugi. You must be Nunnally’s older brother. I just have to say, I’ve never seen anyone handle a sword like your sister.”

“It must be genetic.”

The man laughed, Lelouch feeling something in him yearn to get closer to that sound.

“Whatever it is, it’s an honor to be teaching her.” A shout from the other end of the room took his attention away. Suzaku waved at someone waiting for him before bowing to the two of them. “It was nice meeting the two of you and I hope to see you around more often.”

Then he was gone, leaving Lelouch feeling like the breath had just been punched out of him.

He must have stood there for a while, because he felt Nunnally gently take his hand and lead him from the building. She led him all the way to the car before he got his barrings again, Lelouch clearing his throat and unlocking the car.

Nunnally was quick to slide into the passenger’s seat, bucking up her seatbelt and waiting for Lelouch to get into the car. She played with her hair in its ponytail for a moment before turning to face him. “I heard Tohdoh- _sensei_ say that Suzaku is going to be teaching there permanently.”

Lelouch’s hand slipped where he was fumbling with the keys and slammed onto the horn. He jerked his hand away, quickly slotting the keys into place before he dared look over at his sister.

He wasn’t sure but he thought he saw a hint of a smirk on Nunnally’s face, but it was gone in an instant. In its place was her normal, bright smile, which made Lelouch think that she was spending _far_  too much time with her cousins.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt: “i planned out this super romantic proposal and you just ruined it by beating me to whole proposing thing”

Euphemia flipped through the messages on her phone as the elevator rose to her floor. There weren’t any new messages, but she felt the need to be sure. It wasn’t too rare for her to work late, social work didn’t keep regular hours, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that Suzaku would be suspicious.

She hadn’t been working late this time, she had been with Lelouch.

Euphemia stared at the last message that Suzaku had sent her, just an assurance that he would have dinner waiting for her when she got back. She rubbed her thumb over the screen, her other hand pressed deep into her pocket with her fingers curled around the small box.

She resisted the urge to open the box and stare at the ring inside. She was still sure that it was too much, an heirloom ring that had been passed down in the family for generations. By all rights, the ring should have gone to Cornelia, but her sister had insisted.

Cornelia might have been happy that she had the ring, but Euphemia was sure that it was too ornate. Suzaku hadn’t come from riches like she had, he had been raised by his aunt and uncle after his father’s death. He always seemed to get embarrassed around her family’s obvious shows of wealth. The ring was just another one.

That was why she had gone to talk to Lelouch. She had to be sure that everything went right. The usual fancy dinner or extravagant vacation wouldn’t do anything by make Suzaku feel uneasy, which had left Euphemia scrambling for something that would be romantic enough without ruining the entire effort.

She had spent the last two hours tossing ideas back and forth with her cousin, desperate for an answer. When she did propose, it had to be perfect. Suzaku was worth the effort.

At least the two hours of talking and one tub of ice cream later, the two of them had managed to come up with a workable plan.

It had been a while since the two of them had taken a vacation. Between her social work and Suzaku’s job in the military they were always busy. Euphemia was sure that Suzaku would jump at the chance for a break, even more so if they went back to Japan. He had been talking about all the places that he wanted to show her so she might as well offer him the opportunity. And, when the moment was right, she would propose to him.

The elevator’s soft chime made her jump, Euphemia glancing up at the floor number before rushing out the doors. Despite sharing ice cream with Lelouch and Nunnally she was still hungry. It had been hard to eat lunch when she had been staring at the ring, switching between nervousness and the horror that she could make a mistake.

She took a deep breath while standing in front of the door to their apartment. All she had to do was make and effort and Suzaku would love it. That still didn’t stop her from wanting it to be as perfect as she could get it. Suzaku deserved that much from her.

Euphemia stroked her fingers over the box one more time, steadying herself before she unlocked the door and swung it open.

The apartment was dark, Euphemia frowning. Suzaku had texted her ten minutes ago that he was home. He would have texted her if he was heading out, especially since he had said that she was coming home. She was tempted to check her phone again, but she had been looking at it all the way up the elevator.

She toed off her shoes and walked into the main room, her mouth dropping open when she saw that the table was laid out.It was covered in a white cloth, rose petals and two candles providing a flickering light to the room. 

Euphemia pressed a hand to her mouth, her eyes widening as Suzaku came out of the kitchen. He was wearing his dress uniform, the white bright in the low light.

Suzaku smiled at her, gesturing at the plates that were laid out on the table. “What do you think?”

She barely glanced over at the table, she could smell the chicken from where she was standing. Euphemia shook her head, lowering her hands from her mouth. “No.”

Suzaku’s expression wavered, Euphemia blushing as she realized what it had sounded like. She shook her head, walking forward to grab onto his hand. “It’s wonderful, but…this is a romantic dinner, and you’re probably going to propose.” 

From the way that his shoulders slumped, she had guessed correctly.

Euphemia squeezed his hand, rushing as she tried to explain herself. “It’s really wonderful, but I had plans. There was a vacation and _hours_  trying to figure it out with Lelouch because it had to be _perfect_. Grandmother even gave me a ring and I was…I was going to propose.”

“Oh.”

“It was going to be romantic.”

“I believe you.”

“There was going to be a hot spring involved.”

“A hot spring?”

Euphemia nodded, looking up at him. Suzaku still looked a bit shocked. He kept glancing between her and the table.

After a long moment of silence, Suzaku patted her hand. “Do you want to share the proposal dinner?”

Euphemia nodded again, not trusting herself to speak. She wasn’t sure if she as going to start crying because of Suzaku’s kind gesture or laugh at the ridiculous situation that they had gotten themselves into.

She stepped forward to kiss Suzaku’s cheek. “I’m proposing during dessert.”

“Okay.” Suzaku stepped to the side, offering Euphemia his arm. “I’ll be suitably surprised.”

“It’s a deal then.” Euphemia took his arm, leaning against Suzaku as he escorted her to the table.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A sequel to [Checkmate](http://eachainn.tumblr.com/post/82798243191/checkmate-lelouchcc-week-day-2-static), which is a royal AU that I wrote for Lelouch/C.C. week.

C.C. strode down the hallway, barely paying attention to the guards that glanced at her before looking away. Her attention was on the shouting coming from the office at the end of the hall. She could see the two guards closest to the door wincing every once and a while, swaying a bit further away like it would save them from hearing something that they didn’t want to.

The corner of her mouth twitched up into a smile when they looked her way, their eyes widening before one reached for the door. The other held out his hand, looking like he was about to warn her away. “I wouldn’t, my lady. The prince is-”

“I can hear him.” She waved him away. “If Suzaku is in there you two can retreat to a reasonable distance. Suzaku is more than enough to keep his highness from doing something stupid. And I’ll be there.”

The first guard nodded and swung open the door, leaving his partner to stammer out something that might have been another warning. C.C. ignored it, sweeping into the room, the door slamming shut behind her a moment later.

She took in the room, Suzaku half turned to see who had come into the door. He acknowledged her with a short nod before his attention went back to where Lelouch was pacing by the window. The prince didn’t seem to notice her, too caught up in whatever he was muttering about.

C.C. stepped around the desk, trailing her fingers over the edge as she came around to read the papers.

She could see a few pages of his own notes, lines of neat handwriting with references to what he was really working on. The looked like random pages of a new law, or a treaty. C.C. didn’t bother to read much, there wasn’t a point when Lelouch would probably be muttering parts of it in his sleep for weeks to come.

C.C. shifted a few papers away from the edge, hoisting herself up onto the clear spot. 

The sound of the desk creaking was enough to draw Lelouch’s attention away from what he was raging about. For a moment, he looked like he was about to go on yelling. C.C. braced herself for a long tirade of political jargon that she half understood when Lelouch groaned and came to lean on the back of his chair. 

C.C. calculated the distance between them before deciding not to bother to cover it. If Lelouch had really needed it, he would have sunk into his chair. As it was, Lelouch looked ready to start pacing again and C.C. was not going to follow him back and forth, not in the shoes she was wearing.

She sighed and leaned over and slid her shoes off her feet. Lelouch leaned over as they thudded to the ground, C.C. watching as his gaze trailed back to the papers on his desk. His expression hardened for a moment, C.C. sure that he was going to start pacing again.

Instead, he slumped further over the chair. C.C. sighed and started pushing the papers around the desk. It was a sign of how preoccupied Lelouch was that he just watched her do it.

She raised an eyebrow as she spotted a few key words, stopping her carefully pointed fidgeting. C.C. leaned over to get a better view at what she was looking at, careful to keep her expression neutral. “Your pet project get shot down again.”

“Yes.” The word slipped out between gritted teeth, Lelouch’s gaze darting back over to Suzaku before they dropped back down to the papers. He swayed in place before pushing away from the chair and coming around to sit in it.

C.C. shifted to face him, bumping her feet against his thigh. Lelouch sighed and reached up to stroke his fingers along her ankle, but his gaze wasn’t on her. It was on the law that had been rejected again.

“It’s not in the interests of the empire.”

“Ah.” C.C. leaned forward, reaching down to pat Lelouch’s hand. 

Lelouch didn’t have to explain why the Senate kept rejecting the idea or why the emperor had yet to tell him to stop. The empire enjoyed having the Numbers. There would always be exceptions, like Suzaku, just to keep the Numbers hoping. 

Lelouch slumped forward, C.C. thinking that he was going to rest his head on her lap. He stopped just short of it, staring at her knees before rocking back in his chair. “You might as well stay.”

“Why should I?” She crossed her legs, giving him a smirk. “If you’re going to be buried in stuffy politics I could find somewhere else to be.”

“Where?” From the smirk on his face, C.C. knew that Lelouch had seen through her bluff. He was getting better at that, not that C.C. minded. 

She shrugged and leaned back on the desk. “Any where I don’t have to listen to you reading through complex statements while Suzaku tries to look like he understands. Neither of us do.”

For a moment Lelouch feigned a look of hurt and looked over to Suzaku. C.C. tipped her head back to see the knight, watching as Suzaku struggled to keep a straight face, like he wasn’t paying attention to what they were saying. The fact that he was trying not to smile was giving everything away.

Lelouch shook his head, reaching around her to gather up the papers. He gave them one last look before setting them almost reverently into their folder. C.C. was sure that the law would come out again at the next Senate meeting and the same thing would happen. It would keep happening until long after Charles died if C.C. read most of the prince and princesses right.

He slipped the file back into his desk, pulling out another file. Lelouch settled it on the desk, glancing at her leg before gently nudging it. “I need room to work.”

C.C. looked over the desk, raising an eyebrow at the space on the other side. “I’m not stopping you.” She leaned back on her hands, grinning at him. “I’m comfortable where I am.”

Lelouch glanced over at her before scooting his chair over. She thought she heard him mutter something about the separation of work and play, but she ignored it. It was easy when she spotted him smirking before he dove into whatever business had been passed on to him. 

She shifted so she could read the papers with him, parsing through the complex legalese as she settled in for a long afternoon. It wouldn’t be boring, not with the way that Lelouch was frowning. Then again, listening to Lelouch read through laws was never boring. In just a few minutes he would be up and pacing again, reading the law out to the two of them with his own interjections.

Britannian law was never as interesting as when it was read by an enraged prince.


	22. Chapter 22

**_i._ **

His first was a perfectly curved stick that he had found in his garden.

Suzaku spent the entire summer chasing around invisible enemies, defending his family’s name from their nefarious ways. His mother always smiled when he came bounding back, even if he had gotten dirty in his long chases.

His father even seemed to approve of his adventures, a rarer thing that brought Suzaku a heady pride.

**_ii._ **

The second was another stick, but a far fancier one.

The _shinai_ was a bunch of bamboo tied together, but at least it looked more like a sword.

Better yet, it had been given to him by Tohdoh, presented with the intention to teach him how to use it. Suzaku couldn’t help but feel important to be taught by General Tohdoh. The man might be busy, so his teaching was spotty, but Suzaku didn’t care.

He was learning something far better than how hard he could hit trees and bushes. He was learning how to fight and how to make his father proud.

**_iii._ **

The third was another stick.

It was neither as hefty of his _shinai_ , nor was it as curved as the first stick, the one that had finally snapped at the end of the summer before. It was straight with a few knobs from where Nunnally had snapped off the extra twigs.

It might have not been the same as the others, but it meant more because Nunnally had bestowed it on him. She had giggled and called him a knight, Suzaku puffing out his chest at the responsibility.

Lelouch had huffed and rolled his eyes at the whole affair, but he had never let Suzaku forget the stick when they went out to play. And Lelouch never treated the stick with anything other than reverence. And, sometimes, Suzaku caught Lelouch watching him with something like longing, but he couldn’t figure out why.

**_iv._ **

The fourth wasn’t a proper sword at all, nor did he use it in a honorable fashion.

Suzaku left the knife in his father when they ran away.

**_v._ **

The fifth was something that he had never imagined.

It was a sword for a white knight, someone who could bring justice to the benighted country. Instead of just watching his people struggle and be shoved around he could give them hope. For once, there was a chance that his wild plan might actually work.

It was infinitely better that he couldn’t handle the sword himself. It was far better for the white knightmare to hold the sword and wield it for justice. The Lancelot was better, there was no innocent blood on its hands, not like the blood that Suzaku sometimes imagined he could still feel on his hands.

That the sword was red when in use was something that Suzaku didn’t want to think about.

**_vi._ **

The sixth was the second to be wielded by a princess.

Suzaku couldn’t help but feel a bit dishonest as he walked up the aisle towards where Euphemia waited. He could hear the whispers about what he was doing, about how he didn’t deserve the honor. Suzaku had gotten used to hearing it. But the thing that almost stopped him was the fact that he remembered Nunnally knighting him all of those years ago.

He knew it hadn’t counted, and that Nunnally would want him to be an actual knight, but that didn’t stop his stomach from twisting. He owed Nunnally some kind of loyalty.

But he owed Euphemia so much more. She was the one who had helped him find Lelouch and Nunnally again. She was the one helping him fix his homeland.

Together, the two of them were going to change the world.

**_vii._ **

The seventh was not worth the price.

Suzaku kept his gaze lowered to the ground, barely paying attention to the sharp tap of the sword on his shoulders.

Euphemia had been gentle and Nunnally gentler still, but their father was more direct. It was two quick taps and then the sword was handed back to him, Suzaku sliding it back into its scabbard. An equally sharp motion had Suzaku rising to his feet.

The unfamiliar weight of the cape made him move slowly, Suzaku more than willing to welcome it, just like he welcomed the weight of Euphemia’s pin in his pocket. It was a reminder what he should have done, what he should have reported when he first suspected.

Instead he was left with a pin as a reminder of a dear friend and a sword bought at the price of another.

**_viii._ **

The eight was the first one given to him by a prince.

It was a sword to kill a king. It was a sword to earn him the position he had been pushing towards for years. It was a symbol of his impatience. A final death of a boy that had been dying for eight long years.

Lelouch had pushed him to give up his attempts to win peace through the system, and now he would win peace Lelouch’s way.

It was a simple thing in the end, the emperor was no longer serving the country, so it was better to have a emperor that would help him achieve his goals instead of one that would just want to push the entire situation away for his own pleasure.

Heading out to the island was cleansing, because it was a return to that far away summer. It was a simple thing, he was going to fight an evil man for his lord for the defense of his country.

The only problem was that he was no longer the noble and loyal samurai that he had played at being. He was something else, a twisted version of a knight made by Lelouch and Britannia.

**_ix._ **

The ninth had been Lelouch’s sword first. It had been used to knight him, then Lelouch had used it to lead his Britannian legions to fight against the Black Knights and Schneizel.

It never went to Suzaku, but it was fitting that it passed from one Zero to another.

Suzaku didn’t keep the last sword. He let it be taken away and put up in a museum.

He no longer needed a sword.

He wasn’t a samurai. He wasn’t a knight.

He was just a symbol.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt: "This cancels out the hurt."

It was strange, what they did together in the dark.

During the day, they all went out of their way to ignore each other. Suzaku was busy with the Lancelot, probably torturing himself over the things that he imagined Lelouch was doing. Lelouch was busy running the country into the ground in his subtle ways, being held back by what he thought would be the final straw for Suzaku. C.C. didn’t have the time for their self flagellation but far too much time for herself. It was a common problem.

Still, the separation only lasted during the day, the three of them pushing away from each other as far as their new ties would allow. C.C. was sure that Suzaku would have run to the ends of the earth to get away from Lelouch, that was clear from the way he spent nearly all of his conversations snarling at him. It was only the promise of what Lelouch could do that kept Suzaku where he was. As emperor, Lelouch couldn’t go anywhere, but he could snap back just as violently at Suzaku and C.C. Although he didn’t risk the latter as much as he had before, back when it was just the two of them at Ashford.

C.C. almost found herself missing those days, because it had been simple then. Lelouch was a means to an end, a way out of the world as long as he wasn’t driven crazy. She had paid attention this time, because it was important. And maybe that had been her downfall. In the year and a half of hounding Lelouch and pulling him out of fires of his own creation, she became fond of him, or maybe that was the memory of Marianne that kept her by his side. Either way, she knew that she should have been long gone by now.

Lelouch wasn’t going to keep his part of the deal, he wouldn’t kill her because he loved her in his own way. And what Lelouch loved he kept close, like a child with his favorite toy. It was enough to make her laugh, but never to his face. She wasn’t a toy any more than Suzaku was.

Then again, Lelouch had gotten adept at playing with fire and escaping with only a few burns.

Maybe that was why she stayed, because Pendragon meant a roof over her head, all the food she could eat and endless entertainment. The fights between Lelouch and Suzaku would never stop being entertaining, because the two of them were too stubborn to move. Even without the other it was easy for C.C. to say a few words and get a barrage of anger and frustration.  The boys were too young to know better.

That didn’t explain why she fell into the trap every time.

It was strange, what they did as soon as their duties were done. No matter what had been said they would end up in the same place, drawn by something that C.C. couldn’t name. Or maybe she didn’t care to. It was easier to act instead of put a name on things, to be there when the tension between Suzaku and Lelouch cracked. Sometimes it would start in shouting and anger, sometimes it would come from silence and what was read in between. Sometimes Suzaku would act first, and sometimes Lelouch would. But the outcome was always the same.

One of them would be dragged close – Suzaku seemed to favor Lelouch (although that pattern was changing), while Lelouch would grab either one of them – and it would start with a kiss.

Kisses were never simple in C.C’s experience; they came with rampant emotions and complications. Anyone could say that kisses were innocent, but they often led anywhere but.

So it started with a kiss, the strange things that would happen at night. A kiss and then the frantic grabbing for clothes while the one person left out drifted into the orbit of the others. She had tried to resist before, but she couldn’t. Whatever tied them together left them circling each other, unable to pull away completely and unable to resist when those boundaries came crashing down. It was easier not to.

It was far easier to slide in behind Lelouch, making him jump and twist (but never behind Suzaku, who was too much of a soldier to take surprise well) and start to peel off his clothes. Underneath them was a teenager, a boy just like any other, Lelouch just knew how to hide it better. There was a boy in Suzaku too, one a little more battered because he had let the blows fall.

Suzaku was a tired rage, one fueled by a little boy who wanted to make up for every wrong in the world. A little boy who was sure that a share of the misery was his to bear.

Lelouch was sharp and hot, a rage that had never been left to simmer away, he had never let it. He was a boy screaming at the world in the hopes that it would scream back at him just once. Until then, he would lash out and take what he thought he was owed.

C.C. never knew what they saw with her, she was too careful never to get that close. She was too good at hiding. A layer might peel away here and there, or she might say a bit too much around Lelouch, but they would never know. It was better that she was a witch or an accomplice, anything else might draw the tangle too tight, and then she would never escape.

It was better that none of them really saw what the others were, or pretended that their nights together meant nothing. It was better to kiss, bite and fuck than to spend hours talking softly to each other. It was better to pretend it never happened in the morning and go back to snapping, because it kept that distance.

She didn’t know why they bothered, because they would keep circling each other. The distance never mattered because it would always disappear at night. And, for some reason, that made everything better.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt: “Look at me - just breathe, okay?”

The gunshot was too loud in the tunnel and far louder in his ears. It echoed for far too long too, rattling around in his skull as Suzaku tumbled forward.

It was only when Suzaku hit the ground that Lelouch scrambled forward. The girl was mostly out of her straitjacket, so she could run if she needed to. If she was smart, she would start running. Lelouch would follow after her later, he just had to make sure that Suzaku was alright.

Suzaku had been missing for seven years and Lelouch had never bothered to look into his whereabouts. Japan had been rent to pieces and the Ashfords had been struggling. Then, he hadn’t even known where to begin. Suzaku had been shuffled to some group of relatives that Lelouch had never gotten the name of and he had assumed that Suzaku wouldn’t have just disappeared. That he would be looking for them too.

It have been seven years of silence and only a few minutes of communication. Lelouch was not ready to lose that, not because of some damn jumped up Britannian captain.

He ignored the sound of the soldiers laughing, his full attention on pulling Suzaku closer to him.

Suzaku flopped limply into his lap, Lelouch reaching down to where he saw a sluggish bit of blood beginning to leak through his shirt. He pressed his hand against the wound, swallowing back the bile he felt rising in his throat.

He wasn’t on a flight of stairs, he was nowhere near the Aries Villa. The situation was completely different, but he couldn’t keep himself from thinking about that night when his mother had died. Then he hadn’t been able to do anything, he had just collapsed at the top of the stairs and screamed. He had a chance to save someone this time. But he wasn’t doing anything, he was just staring at Suzaku.

Lelouch licked his lips, trying to figure out what to do. He could call for help, but he didn’t think that the soldiers would allow him to. He was sure that they would shoot him if he tried to, because he was just a traitor to them. They didn’t believe that he was a student, and Lelouch didn’t trust himself to explain his situation enough.

On his lap Suzaku shifted with a pained hitch of his breath.

Lelouch curled over him protectively, his free hand carding through Suzaku’s hair. “Don’t move.”

Suzaku’s eyes flickered open, Lelouch watching as Suzaku looked around. He doubted that his friend would really be able to see anything, not with the way that Suzaku wasn’t reacting to anything. Lelouch didn’t even know if Suzaku was aware that he was there, but it was worth the chance. “Suzaku, look at me. Just breathe, okay? Keep breathing.”

There was a wheeze from Suzaku, Lelouch taking that as an answer. He sighed, pressing his hand more firmly against the wound. There was nothing else he could do, especially when he felt the tip of a gun press against the back of his head.

“Just look at me.”

It seemed to take forever for Suzaku to focus on him, Lelouch continuing to mutter encouragement. Suzaku’s bleary green gaze met his just a second before a second gunshot echoed through the tunnel, the sound bringing silence in its wake.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was written as a sequel to [hello-suzalulu's prompt #3](http://eachainn.tumblr.com/post/128486546578/suzalulu-prompt-3) that I wrote earlier.

The grounds surrounding the castle were silent, a good thing because Suzaku didn’t want to go back inside. If he did, he knew that he would either drift to command center where he’d have to deal with the suspicious glares from Ryo, Yukiya and Ayano or Akito’s disinterest. It was better than going down to the dungeons and listening to Julius rage at him. He didn’t need Julius to remind him of what a traitor he was.

Suzaku sighed, watching his breath plume in the cool air. He shook his head and headed down to the lake, wanting to put as much distance between the castle and himself. If anyone wanted him, they could come and find him. It wouldn’t be too hard considering all of the security cameras scattered around the grounds. Suzaku kept catching glimpses of them out of the corner of his eye, watching the way they swung before looking back at the path he was taking.

It was just another thing watching him, waiting for some kind of break in the story that he had told them.

The story was one he had been repeating since he had managed to trick Julius to follow him to Paris and he had turned them both into the head General. Suzaku was sure that the words would come off his tongue just as easily as his rank and position.

Suzaku was sure that they didn’t believe him about Lelouch losing his memory. He wasn’t sure that they believed that Julius was the eleventh prince. It had been announced that Lelouch had died during the invasion of Japan. To them Julius was just a great general, he had to be if a Knight of the Round was escorting him. Suzaku's presence just made the lie more believable. He wasn’t sure what Julius was telling them, but Suzaku had told them everything he felt comfortable divulging, more than enough to allow him to wander around the grounds without an escort.

He rubbed his hands together, feeling warmth seep back into his hands. The gloves he had been loaned weren’t the best, but Suzaku doubted that the W-0 unit got the best supplies. The EU might have proclaimed that they were better than Britannia, but their racism was just as bad. A unit with Japanese pilots was sure to suffer because of that.

He flexed his fingers, looking over the still waters of the lake. Suzaku supposed that it would have been calming to someone, but he didn’t think he could find calm anymore. He didn’t think that he would ever be able to shake the feeling that Britannia was just a step away, breathing down his neck.

Suzaku shivered, glancing over his shoulder before pushing the thought out of his mind.

He had managed to get both Julius and the Lancelot far behind the front lines. The few bits of information that he was allowed to know put the front line closer to Euro-Britannia than anywhere else. He had heard a few people in the unit whispering about a Britannian force pushing towards the Mediterranean, but no one was in a panic so he assumed that it was just rumor.

There were a lot of rumors going around and very little that he could do. The Lancelot was still being repaired, Suzaku almost hating the view of his Knightmare under the hands of anyone but Lloyd. He trusted the W-0 scientists, but he was sure that he would never hear the end of it from Lloyd. If he ever got back to Lloyd again.

Suzaku paused at a fork in the two paths. He swayed in place before choosing the rockier one. He wanted to get down to the lake as soon as possible, as far away from the security cameras and their peering eyes as he could. It was a relief to do something that would take his mind of the same worried circle, and clambering down a rocky trail would do just that.

He picked his way down, clambering over some of the larger rocks until he reached the end of the trail.

Suzaku shivered in the cold wind coming off the lake, tempted to take a step forward until he was standing on the shore proper, but he held himself back. Britannia might not have found him just yet, but he didn’t want to expose himself too much.

He reached out to lean against the nearest tree, closing his eyes. What he wanted to do above all was get a good night’s sleep without images of Euphy’s bloodstained smile or the sound of Julius’ accusations ringing in his ears. Compared to the both of those Yukiya’s knife would be welcome, not that it would do much.

Suzaku sucked in a quick breath when he felt the geass activate, his spine straightening. He gritted his teeth, breathing steadily until the urge went away.

He ducked his head, rubbing his forehead as he tried to shake the last of the geass away.

“I think you would call this situation ironic.” Suzaku jumped at the voice, turning around to stare at the person who was making their way along the lake shore. They were all wrapped up, their face obscured from his sight under hood.

He groped for a weapon, his fingers twitching when he remembered that he wasn’t allowed one. His information might be trusted, but he still wasn’t.

The figured laughed, reaching up to pull back the hood. “That’s an exercise in futility, boy.”

Suzaku relaxed when he recognized the girl from Shinjuku, almost not surprised that she had come to find him. He had seen her once before, when just before Euphy had gone insane because of Lelouch’s geass. He couldn’t figure out why she was working with Lelouch, but that didn’t matter.

He slumped back against the tree. “I expected someone else.”

“There aren’t many of us left.” The girl pushed her hands into her pockets. “Most of them have their faces plastered on wanted posters. Kallen wanted to come, but I didn’t trust her not to punch Lelouch’s face off.”

“She wouldn’t have felt satisfied. He doesn’t remember being Lelouch.”

That seemed to spark her interest, the girl taking a slow step forward. “He doesn’t?”

Suzaku expected a barrage of questions, not the smirk that she gave him. “You didn’t expect that when you met with Charles, did you?”

He stared at her for a moment, her words sending a chill down her spine. She hadn’t been there, so she couldn’t know that it was the emperor’s fault. Worse yet, she didn’t even look surprised that something like the emperor having a geass could have happened.

Suzaku stepped forward, grabbing onto the front of her coat. The girl didn’t resist as he shoved her backwards, pressing her against one of the large rocks. “How did you know?”

The girl just smiled, not even phased by her position. “I know more things than you could imagine, boy. And threatening me will get you nowhere.” She rested a hand over his. “Let me down and we can talk business.”

“Why?”

“Because you asked. And because Lelouch and I are partners in this.”

Suzaku stared at her, not sure if he could trust her. She was with Lelouch, tied up with him more than Suzaku ever had been. She had known everything while Lelouch had lied and put him off. But he had no other choice, not when it looked like he was going to be shoved off with a side garrison and an uncooperative Julius. If he wanted something to get done, if he wanted to get the answers that he needed, then he needed Lelouch and not Julius. If the girl knew as much as V.V. had insinuated, then she was his only chance.

He took a deep breath and stepped back, the girl brushing off her clothes.

Once she was done she pulled up her hood again, giving Suzaku a level look. “What made you change your mind?”

Suzaku shook his head, not wanting to answer her question. But the answer came out anyway. “Lelouch told me the truth.”

When he looked up, the girl looked suspicious, but she didn’t push. She just reached forward to brush her fingers over the side of his face.

Suzaku flinched back, afraid that her touch would cause a parade of memories that he would rather forget. Instead, he just felt the scratch of wool across his face before her hand dropped away.

She stared at him for a moment more before nodding. “Then you and I are partners too. Now, take me to Lelouch.”


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An extra chapter since I'll be away when Friday rolls around.
> 
> For the prompt: “I just really need to have you here right now.”

C.C. was used to finding Lelouch in strange places in the middle of the night. She didn’t know why he had recently gotten the urge to roam, but she wasn’t about to tell him to stop. It was better than him fretting in his rooms and riling Suzaku up. She had had enough of their endless arguments or the stolen glances of regret while the other wasn’t looking.

She followed the ray of light on the carpet, shaking her head when she realized that Lelouch had retreated to the throne room. It was one step better than the room that he had taken over for his office. If he was in the office, she only had to coax him away from his work. The throne room was a different situation altogether.

C.C. slid through the half open door, raising her eyebrow when she saw Lelouch standing just in front of the steps that led up to the dais.

He wasn’t wearing his official robes, he was in his pajamas and a coat that he had pulled out of his closet. Lelouch looked nothing like the demon that the world liked to call him. He just looked like a lost boy.

C.C. padded down the carpet in the center of the room, careful to swing wide when she approached Lelouch. She saw his head tilt to the side, feeling his gaze sweep over her for a moment before it settled elsewhere again.

His silence was almost unnerving after weeks of nearly frantic energy. Then again, the late night review sessions had stopped as soon as the fake funeral finished. The silences had started around then.

C.C. tucked her hands behind her back, not really looking at the throne or the decorative columns that surrounded it. 

She wasn’t used to quiet accomplices. Mao hadn’t been. He had been full of childish questions and then demands for her to stay with him. With Mao there had been nothing but him singing her praises, which brought up the past too much for her taste. She didn’t want to relive those days when everyone had loved her, that empty love that had driven her to callousness.

Marianne hadn’t been quiet either. She had been full of fire and passion. She hadn’t been demanding in the way that Mao had, but there had always been little hints of favors, little teases to try and swing C.C. her way. C.C. had seen through it all, but allowed it because she had liked Marianne.

Even Lelouch hand’t been quiet at first, he had been full of the same passion that C.C. recognized from Marianne and a great deal more anger. It had been enough to make her forget that he was just a boy.

She couldn’t forget that now, not when she had learned to see through the cracks and in his carefully presented facade. There seemed to be more of them now as they came to the end, not that she blamed him.

Humans spent most of their lives trying to avoid death. It was in their nature to fight against it with all that they had when it came, but Lelouch was doing the opposite. He was forcing himself to stand still as it came to him.

C.C. reached out to touch his shoulder, pretending to ignore the way she felt Lelouch shiver. The time for teasing him had passed, she could allow him his dignity now.

Lelouch remained tense for a moment before he gradually relaxed, but his eyes never left the throne.

C.C. considered the chair, absently noting the way that it towered above them. Having Charles sitting in it would have made that illusion complete. The imperial throne was imposing, only slightly less so when it was empty.

She glanced back at Lelouch, sighing when it looked like he was just going to keep staring at the chair, caught up in whatever thought he was working through. It would be far more beneficial to get him to bed.

“It’s late.”

Lelouch made a vague noise, C.C. not sure if he had heard her or not. She settled for patting his shoulder and taking a step back.

To her surprise, he turned around abruptly, staring at her with wide eyes. “C.C-”

He stopped himself before he could say anything else. It was just part of his nature not to beg or ask for help until there was no other choice. It was easier for him to pull people into his sphere or influence or convince them that joining him was the best choice. It took someone fluent in Lelouch to recognize what he was saying.

He didn’t want to be alone.

For weeks he had been surrounded by allies or minions. But, now that the Zero Requiem was getting closer, he was stripping all of those away. Lelouch was feeling the void around him now, one that C.C. knew from experience was cold and yawning. But he still wouldn’t ask for her to stay, that was still beyond his pride.

She nodded and stepped up beside him again, leaning her shoulder against his. C.C. felt his hand grope for her own, their fingers tangling together loosely. She was tempted to really grab his hand, to give Lelouch the grounding that he needed, but that was something that he would have to ask for himself.

That didn’t stop her from holding tightly to the awkward grip she had, reminding Lelouch that there was still someone there with him. That she would be there until the end.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, sorry for the day late update. Things happened that I hadn't planned for, which made me unable to update. For that, you get two chapters today.
> 
> Written for the prompt: "Hades and Persephone AU"

C.C. shook her head at the line of souls that snaked through her palace, some of them flinching away as she walked past. She didn’t bother to lower the hood on the cloak that she wore, the souls knew who she was. They could feel her power, just like they could feel the power of the person inside her palace. The souls were flocking there because he felt different than the rest of the place.

The afterlife was always a strange mix of contentment and sorrow, the feeling stretched along the full length of her domain. The sorrow gathered the most along the shores of the river and the fields of punishment. The contentment was centered in her realm, as much as anything in the place could be centered. 

But Lelouch was something different, he was a breath of life, of summer in a dark realm. It was no wonder the spirits of the dead flocked around him, they all wanted to bask in the aura and remember what it had been like when they were alive. The thought that they worshiped him for that made her laugh, considering he seemed to be adapting to her realm faster than C.C. had thought possible

She kept her pace even as she entered the throne room, not surprised to see Lelouch sitting in the chair she had dragged in for him. It wasn’t a proper throne, but he sat in it like it was one. He presided over the souls of the dead like he belonged there, probably passing judgment on them.

C.C. felt her mouth twitch up into something like a smile, quickly controlling the expression. She should have suspected something was up when Lelouch had stood by to watch her work, but she had just thought that he was bored. Compared to the land of the living, there wasn’t much to do in the realm of the dead. Then again, that was the point. It was punishment or paradise.

She watched as Lelouch gestured to one of the souls, shaking her head at his wide flung hand. C.C. sighed and pushed her hood back, seeing the spirits flinch back as she walked by. “Lelouch.”

The sound of his name gave him pause, Lelouch’s eyes widening before he stood up. She nodded at him, ascending the short flight of stairs to where her throne waited.

She rested a hand on his arm, giving him a long look before turning around. Most of the spirits were gone, but she dismissed the rest with a wave of her hand. 

C.C. felt them scatter throughout her realm, her attention flitting to them for a moment before she looked back at Lelouch. “We needed privacy.”

“C.C.-”

“I don’t mind. It gives me less to do. Especially with your father raging.”

The mention of his father got the guilty look off of Lelouch’s face. His expression hardened, C.C. almost sure that he was going to pull away from her and storm off. It had happened before when she had tried to talk to him about Charles.

Instead, Lelouch stepped away from her and sunk into his chair. He leaned forward, hunching his shoulders as his aura shrunk. It was like he was trying to hide himself from Charles, not that his father could just barge down into her realm. If he could, he would have been down to retrieve his wayward son months ago instead of raging about on the earth above.

She settled herself on the arm of her throne, watching Lelouch carefully before reaching back to settle herself more firmly on her perch. “He’s threatening to take this all away from me.”

“He can’t!” Lelouch nearly jumped to his feet, only settling when C.C. gave him a long glare.

“Do you think I’m so easily threatened? I’m far older than your father and far more powerful. Besides,” C.C. shrugged, fiddling with the clasp of her cloak, “I made you a promise and I keep my promises.”

That seemed to calm him, Lelouch relaxing slightly. He didn’t look at her though, preferring to look anywhere else.

She huffed, sliding off of the arm of her throne and into the seat. “Your sister is fine, by the way.”

“I’ll have to visit her soon…as soon as my father calms down.”

“That’s not likely.”

“Then I’ll just sneak up there.”

“How?”

“I’ll think of something.”

C.C. shook her head as he stormed off, probably to sulk somewhere. She would find him in a moment and remind him just of what she could do. There were plenty of things that Charles didn’t know about her, plenty of things that she could do that would slip just beneath his nose. C.C. would pull the wool over Charles’ eyes for free. It would be worth it to watch him rage and figure out that he could do nothing to touch her.

She smoothed her hand down her cloak, staring down at the stains on the hem. The green seemed almost too bright in the darkness of her palace, but that’s why C.C. liked it. She hadn’t minded the darkness until Lelouch had come around, but now she found herself walking the open world above.

She had forgotten how much she missed it. And all because of a stray promise…

She had a new promise to look after now, one that suited her better. Why should she bow to Charles just because he was in charge? Gods would come and go, but she would stay. It was her lot in life. 

Still, it had been a long while before she had had so much fun. Flaunting Charles’ rules had been the best fun she’d had in a while. Beyond that, she liked having Lelouch around. He seemed to like ruling and she would let him, there were other things she wanted to occupy her time with. 

Besides, having company wasn’t all that bad. Lelouch would sulk from time to time, but he was better than all the spirits that drifted through her realms. At least he talked to her.

C.C. stood up, unclasping her cloak. It was about time she shook Lelouch out of his sulk. If Lelouch wanted to see his sister they needed to make a plan. She was more powerful than his father but she couldn’t work miracles, at least not the ones that he imagined. 


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [captain-lecho](http://captain-lecho.tumblr.com/) requested: "Unholy Trinity and cuddling."

Suzaku ran his fingers through Lelouch’s hair, watching his friend’s chest rise and fall.

He had fully expected Lelouch to collapse in exhaustion hours ago, but he had just kept going. It probably wasn’t good for him to push himself so far, but Suzaku couldn’t think of anyone who could tell the emperor to stop. He might have been the Knight of Zero, but that didn’t grant him any authority with Lelouch. Save for bodily dragging him away from whatever he was doing, Suzaku could do nothing but watch.

Suzaku looked up at the door slid open, nodding as C.C. entered the room. He wasn’t surprised that she had stripped down to her underwear already, it was a blazing hot day in the capital. He had spent most of his day looking for any excuse to take off his cloak. At the moment it was tossed on his bed, as far away from himself as he could get it.

C.C. stared at them for a moment, clutching her Cheese-kun to her chest. She must have seen something of interest to her because she nodded and padded over to Suzaku’s bed. She set Cheese-kun on Suzaku’s cape, giving the stuffed animal a fond pat on its head before she came back over onto the couch.

Suzaku tipped his head back as she came around the back, closing his eyes as her fingers trailed over Suzaku’s cheek. The touch was brief and fleeting, Suzaku finding himself leaning after her when she moved away. He thought he heard her laugh, Suzaku opening his eyes as he heard the couch creak.

C.C. had hopped up onto the back, looking fondly down at the two of them. “He’s finally tired himself out. I thought he would try to run us all the way to Zero Requiem in one day.”

“That’s Lelouch.”

“Idiot.” C.C. said the word fondly, reaching down to touch Lelouch’s shoulder. Lelouch jerked slightly, mumbling something in his sleep.

Suzaku smiled when Lelouch leaned back towards the two of them. He turned his head, watching as C.C. slipped her feet under Lelouch.

She remained leaning forward, trailing her fingers over Lelouch’s arm. “He tries so hard.”

“Too hard.” Suzaku shook his head, wanting to say more, but he held his tongue. There was still too much floating between him and Lelouch, too many things that he didn’t want to say that burned in his gut.

He jumped when he felt C.C. grab his chin. He went under the pressure, surprised to see her staring seriously at him. Suzaku shifted under her scrutiny, relaxing when the hold turned into a gentle caress. “Too hard.”

Suzaku was sure that they weren’t talking about Lelouch anymore, but he didn’t quite know how to broach the subject. He and C.C. didn’t have the history that she and Lelouch had. He couldn’t just snap at her like Lelouch did and have things work out. What happened between them was something more like outright flirting, which seemed to drive Lelouch crazy.

He jumped when C.C. pressed a kiss to his forehead. He didn’t get the chance to ask her what she meant because her attention was back on Lelouch.

Suzaku shifted in place before leaning a bit closer to her, hesitating a moment before resting the side of his head against her leg. He didn’t dare look up at her, but he could almost imagine the smile that she had on her fact. It was probably the one that she used when she had won an argument with Lelouch.

If that expression was on her face, it only lasted a moment because he felt her soften. Her fingers went into his hair, Suzaku’s eyes fluttering closed.

“You can rest now, I can keep watch for a while.”

Suzaku nodded, but he didn’t let himself drift off. He shifted and opened his eyes so he could watch Lelouch. He knew that he could trust C.C, but he didn’t want to give up his watch, not when he could feel the time they had left slipping steadily away.


End file.
